Johnny Weir: Sixth in Men's Figure Skating, Number One in Fashion

(MoneyWatch)  Johnny Weir's black oilskin corseted get-up -- frosted with peek-a-boo netting and a saucy pink tassel -- has already garnered enough ink to make any PR person worth their salt wonder if they should pack in their press contact list and sign up for sewing lessons. Though the U.S. Olympic figure skater placed sixth in the men's competition after the long program, Weir's penchant for the type of plumage more often seen on the runway than the rink bodes well for the young man's financial future.

Pageantry aside, many elite athletes depend on corporate sponsorships to fund the part of the sport the public doesn't see. Coaching, choreography, and costumes can cost a figure skater upwards of $70,000. But Johnny Weir's controversial image (think fur and flamboyance) don't necessarily lend themselves to squeaky clean Wheaties campaigns. Still, while he's very much in the competition game, as witnessed by his Olympic showing, Weir's got his sights set on life beyond the ice.

During New York's Fashion Week last year, Weir unabashedly voiced his ambitions. "I want to have my own line." And if he can't actually have his own fashion company, Weir wants to put his own design ideas to work for someone else. In fact he says, he's already been approached to collaborate.

No surprise because the kid's already got designer cred. Weir's spent half of his 25 years devoted to figure skating, and during that time designed all of his own costumes with the same seamstress. And though he caught flak during the 2006 games for sporting a Russian team jacket, Weir's created a (slim-fitting, chic) black jacket under his own label "Be Unique." The jacket, retailing for $95, came available at the same time the Sundance Chanel debuted a reality show following his escapades (ice capades?), titled Be Good Johnny Weir, which airs on Sunday nights.

Despite his diva antics, on and off the show (and on and off the ice) Weir seems to understand the business of fashion is just that -- a business. To his credit, Weir asserts, "I want to go to college and get a full business background," before he embarks on the reality of having his own company. Until then he's tantalizing a bevy of fans (who gift him pricey Balenciaga bags) and cultivates his relationship with the uber-fashionista Lady GaGa.

So never mind the ice, Johnny. On the runway, the sky is the limit.

Image from the LA Times