Hoop Dreams merges materials and forms found on the haute couture runway with the function of a basketball mesh. Originally inspired by the movement of fabric on female fashion models, the series requires a player to animate the nets by shooting a basketball through them. “Hoop Dreams,” “Drippin’,” “Respect the Game,” and “The Last Dance” pay homage to designers Hayley Paige, Iris Van Herpen, Giambattista Valli (with a special nod to Serena Williams’ tutu designed by Virgil Abloh), and Viktor & Rolf.

“In Hoop Dreams, Tolcher continues to rework basketball netting, now specifically referencing recognizable fashion forms such as the tutu and the hoop skirt. Tolcher questions the pressures continually placed on female athletes to perform over-the-top femininity as a condition of being allowed to participate in sport culture.” - Adrienne Fast, The Reach for the Game/Culture group exhibition (2022), sponsored by Victory / SLAM