On and off the tennis court: The fashion brand psychology of performance

Fashion brands may have a long shot, towards working on the theory of the tennis player, Leylah Fernandez: “I have always wanted to be original, different from the tennis players, and be my own unique person.”

Tennis has become the new fashion frontier, catching the eye of unconventional apparel brands. Seeking to widen their consumer base, companies that previously overlooked tennis have embarked on a journey into this dynamic realm.

Inspired by the resurgence of classic styles and bolstered by cultural phenomena, “Tenniscore” is also poised to be a significant trend for this year. The Tenniscore ethos is?centred around the idea of merging the quiet luxury of minimalism with the easy-going practicality of casualwear.

According to the recent market analysis, the global athleisurewear market is projected to reach $517.48 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.1% from 2019 to 2025.?

No longer are apparel sponsorship deals left solely to the athletic brands, that have dominated the sport for decades. Now, tennis welcomes an entire range of brands new to the sport. In the last few years, the sport has welcomed?Lululemon,?Vuori,?J. Lindeberg, Greyson,?Sigrun, Original Penguin,?Free People, Alo, Hugo Boss and Armani, to name a few.

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Keep it white, peaceful, and elegant

The very British Wimbledon is considered the most prestigious tennis tournament. It is the only tennis tournament that employs the strict all-white dress code, while all other tournaments have relaxed theirs to a great extent. There are a few reasons for prioritizing the white colour.

●???????Wimbledon is a summer event, where white is considered apt for summers.

●???????Tennis was launched as a leisure game for the British royalty and army men, at social gatherings. The athletic activity of the game led to sweat, that altered the look of the coloured garments. As this situation turned unfavourable, hence white was marked legitimate, for the tennis sportswear league.

The first break from the long silhouettes for women on the Wimbledon's courts happened after World War I, where a French player, Suzanne Lenglen started wearing knee-length skirts with a loose half-sleeve top. This was accepted gradually, and the players from United States, France, and Great Britain started adopting this. The skirts evolved into pleated calf-length and knee-length skirts, adopted by most of the players.

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What’s the strategy?

“For sponsors and agents, I see the value of more brands being involved in the sport,” expressed James Beres, an agent with Topnotch Management, which represents Reilly Opelka, Cam Norries, J.J. Wolf and Caroline Garcia, adding that it allows athletes to get more personalized marketing, as compared to getting “lost in the sauce of bigger brands with so many players”.

“Depending on the player, that can really drive the value up for these sponsorship deals and offer a new gateway to a new type of deal, showcased much more off the court than on the court,” affirmed Alessandro Barel Di Sant Albano, Team8 agent, representing Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton. “We see athletes now from all over the world having different brand partners from all over the world.”

As brands enter tennis, they approach the sport differently than some of the traditional giants, such as Nike, Asics, and Adidas. Often brands join with a targeted approach to signing players, starting in the low single digits to manage marketing dollars. Looking to tap into the tennis-inspired lifestyle, signing a professional player gives a brand a presence in the tennis space, offering legitimacy to new product ranges. Plus, no other sport other than golf, features a global footprint, where brands can place a logo across an athlete half a dozen times from head to toe.

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Faces that make the heads turn

-??????? Former tennis champion René Lacoste founded the brand in 1933, with deep roots in the sport. He developed a ball-throwing machine for training solo, and later invented the polo shirt, which has become a fashion icon adopted by all.

-??????? In August 2023, the tennis legend, Roger Federer introduced his first fashion collection, that he had designed with?the Loewe brand’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. Going beyond the tennis star’s previous merchandise of hats and T-shirts with his RF logo, the collection included fleece zip-up jackets and nylon joggers. Federer’s current biggest deal is with the?brand Uniqlo. In 2018, he signed a 10-year, US$300 million deal with the brand, with the collaboration continuing since his retirement.

-??????? Every brand fortunately has a different strategy. The timing of Lululemon, a Canadian company, entering the sport with a global ambassador coincided with a surge in success from the Canadian Leylah Fernandez, a sweet coincidence, according to the brand. The brand Hugo Boss has leveraged Matteo Berrettini more off the court than on, a key piece of that brand’s singular marketing strategy. Vuori started with a men’s sponsorship, while J.Lindeberg began with female players, before planning to add a male athlete for 2024. Free People wanted to embrace the American market, leveraging Stephens and Sofia Kenin to do it. An athletic brand relatively new to tennis, wanted to make a splash, signing the top women’s player in the world, Iga Swiatek, and the striking young American male player, Ben Shelton, at the same time.

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The must-have tennis looks for your wardrobe

We recommend you to wear the following products on the court, and after for cocktails or brunch.

a.????? Tory Burch tennis skirt

b.????? Uniqlo tennis polo tee

c.????? Nike tennis shoes

d.????? Wilson layer

e.????? Adidas tennis dress

f.?????? Lacoste sports bra

g.????? Girfriend Collective skort

h.????? Sporty & Rich cashmere sweater

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Heritage brands like Lacoste have long been synonymous with tennis style, but the rise of new brands like Sporty & Rich, bring a fresh perspective.

With the ‘Old Money’ styling trend still riding high, celebrating more conservative and modest choices, the Tenniscore code fits perfectly into the timeless look.

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Play the ball with a storyline

The brands are also seeking major tournament visibility. Previously there was a focus only on a player’s ranking and a heavy value placed on playing deep in the second week of a major. That is certainly still the case for the big-money deals for the top players dominating the sport, but now players have an option to join brands more focused on having an athlete in a grand slam tournament, being able to promote products around that time, and have storylines that tie to each of the four majors.

The new brand entries have benefited both male and female players, but there’s certainly been a recent push in women’s sports. With the female training and athleisure brands tapping on the opportunity of making their products accessible for everyday wear, that’s where we observe a huge demand to invest into women’s tennis.

Ultimately, the rise of athleisure wear demand shows that consumers want to refine their body dimensions, and not just focus on what’s trending, or simply emulate the celebrity life. Every look defines one’s persona, and one should take that seriously. If one is aligned to the aforementioned tenniscore ethos, the tennis must-haves will ideally present a long shelf-life. Here, we predict a win-win situation!

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