Tennis Mania

Hailey Bieber's Retro FILA Campaign. RENELL MEDRANO FOR FILA

In a world where identity and aspiration blend, an intriguing allure draws us into a realm of luxury and status. Here, fashion and prestige intertwine seamlessly, captivating our imagination and desire. It's a land where elegance is a way of life, and every detail speaks of sophistication.

The fashion world doesn’t care if you are a true tennis fan. Nobody is interested in whether you have athletic skills of any kind. Hitting that small yellow ball is just the tip of the iceberg. The tennis/preppy style trend aims at answering one question only: do you look annoyingly rich while playing?

Bandier x Lacoste, S/S ‘23 campaign

The tight bond between tennis and fashion is no news. The game has inspired the clothing industry for quite a while. There are brands whose ideas specifically originated from the sport itself. Lacoste - born from the intuition of René Lacoste - became an institution when it came to the subtle elegance to show on the court. Others, like Nike and many others, added tennis to their business models answering to mere performance purposes. As time went by, more and more labels jumped into the conversation. Uniqlo, Sporty & Rich, Aimé Leon Dore, Gucci, Balmain, and Dior are just some of the endless pile of names that have tapped into tennis. But the question I’d like to ask you today is: what is it about this sport that makes it so appealing?

Let’s start by acknowledging that in the past few months, the fashion landscape has witnessed a growing interest flourishing regarding an ultraluxe aesthetic and luxury athleticwear. As stated by Cosmopolitan - and sourced from Afterpay - overall sales rapidly increased across every category. From on-court styles to off-court aesthetics, the phenomenon has captured the spotlight by investing in one single element. The average customer doesn’t necessarily need to play tennis. The functionality of the designs alongside a premium choice of fabrics ensures that any single product can be potentially worn by anybody.

But it’s certainly no coincidence that the trend in question took place in the exact same time range that witnessed two of the biggest cultural phenomena of 2024. In fact, it would be hypocritical to talk about tennis without a mention of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. Everything from the screenplay and direction to the styles and Zendaya’s presence has led to a massive blockbuster that will surely be remembered for quite a while. The influence brought by the actress from the height of her 184 million followers on IG has undoubtedly shaken the masses. And On - an athleisure brand with whom Zendaya has signed a multi-year partnership - might know a thing or two about the good effects brought by the film. Love-trio aside, the movie has captured our attention with the continuous tension living throughout the 210 minutes. We’ve slowly started to develop a fascination with neon balls jumping from side to side. Of course, everything is rigorously conceived at the rhythm of intense beats evoking the atmosphere of a late-night rave.

And then, it would be hypocritical as well not to place in the conversation the global effect brought by a young and humble guy born in San Candido - a small village in South Tyrol in northern Italy. Jannik Sinner has completely taken over the world by winning and doing it with composure, elegance, and a down-to-earth approach. Anybody immediately resonated with a personality of this kind. Charmingly innocent and immensely talented. Someone could call him a rough diamond. Someone else could refer to him as the actual number 1 in the tennis ranking. The patriotic feeling has brought together the hearts of an entire country (Italy) and not only. The tension and elegance of the game, strengthened by the rise of an aspiring star, attracted the attention of many - especially those who were not into tennis at all.

If TV products like Challengers together with the Sinner effect have certainly added further fuel to the sport, the relevance of tennis itself as a status symbol has never been questioned. Just like other activities like skiing and sailing, tennis has always been considered a sport not for all. And the origins of this reason go way back in time. Some believe the conception of the sport dates back to the 12th century in France. Known as “Jeu de paume” - palm game because it was initially performed without any rackets - tennis was mainly played by the high classes of society. The reason is rooted in the deep resources they had to build and maintain the facilities required for the game. Later on in the 20th century, the sport widely spread across all Europe and America, becoming a distinctive sign of wealth and aristocracy. In fact, it became common use to include tennis courts inside the exclusive private clubs where only selected individuals were allowed. The expensive memberships and equipment, on top of the prestigious tournaments sponsored by many “royal” brands like Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and Rolex, have added hype and wealthy aura to the sport.

Lacoste 1976 Campaign

Going to Wimbledon, Roland Garros, or the Australian Open doesn’t only mean going to watch some balls getting kicked from one side to the other. It’s much more than that. It’s rather the access to a place of royalty and elevated elegance. It means having access to a different kind of private club, where people will see you there and recognize you as a peer of theirs. Of course, a big part of the game is played by the big celebrity endorsement. Knowing that Leonardo DiCaprio could potentially be attending the game as you are - well - doesn’t it make you feel important somehow? We could definitely say that tennis has become much more about the privileges and aura around it rather than the discipline itself. But this doesn’t come out of the blue. The narrative that we’ve seen regarding tennis has always brought us to look in one direction only. A vision made of the most aesthetic court you’ve ever seen in your life in the panorama of the perfect Beverly Hills or Montecarlo house. No wonder why the preppy style has literally become a sign of respect to the finest aspects of life: sunbathing on the Monaco’s coast, having a healthy and delicious meal with your friends, or spending some leisure time on your private yacht.

Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc

The tennis style has taken over the throne because it has allowed people to live a sort of parallel life. As we said before, many are the perks. And not everyone is in a position to afford all of that. But looking like someone who’s truly immersed in that kind of life grants us respect and recognition. We feel relaxed. We convey confidence. We feel like competitors on the court. Going around carrying tenniscore outfits says that we’re refined in our choices. It says we are sure of ourselves. And most of all, it makes it look like our only preoccupation is to bring some extra rackets over to the field.