As the French Open got underway in Paris this week, Italian tennis champion Jannik Sinner showed off a new duffel bag on court in preparation for his grueling match against Christopher Eubanks. No, it wasn't a Nike or Under Armour tote. It was a Gucci bag in collaboration with performance sports label Head.
Sinner is actually Gucci's newest brand ambassador, appearing in their latest global campaign; the partnership was forged after he brought a GG monogrammed tote bag onto the court at Wimbledon last year. The Italian brand isn't the only luxury brand wooing tennis stars. This month, Louis Vuitton cast on-court rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a new campaign featuring a striking image of the pair hiking together in Italy's Dolomites, each sporting an LV monogrammed backpack.
Historically, sports brands like Nike and Under Armour have dominated the tennis world by sponsoring top athletes and featuring them in campaigns, but as widespread interest in tennis reaches new heights, luxury brands are seeing an opportunity to increase their cultural value and relevance by teaming up with the sport's best talent.
Find out more at ELLE COLLECTIVE
Perhaps due to the strict rules surrounding tennis clothing, shoes and equipment, luxury brands have long been hesitant to branch out into the tennis sector, instead turning to other sports such as soccer and basketball. In 2022, Gucci appointed footballer Jack Grealish as a brand ambassador, and he later collaborated with Gucci to create his own Roblox avatar. More recently, Arsenal footballer Bukayo Saka appeared in Burberry's SS24 campaign. A similar shift is happening in the United States, where American footballer Travis Kelce wore custom-made Amiri as his pre-match outfit for the Super Bowl in February.
“Global events like Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open are fantastic opportunities for brands to join the global cultural conversation and connect with international audiences,” said Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer at LaunchMetrics.
Top tennis players are not only great athletes, they also enjoy the star status (and fanbase to match) that rivals many of the best players – just look at Serena Williams, who rose to fame after winning 23 Grand Slam titles.
Meanwhile, our appetite for all things #tenniscore continues to grow. With the Olympics just around the corner, sports mania is at an all-time high. Tennis, in particular, has recently achieved a new level of cultural relevance, helped along by buzzworthy films like: Challengers — During the press tour, which Zendaya also accompanied, she showed off a number of tennis-inspired red carpet looks, from a vintage Ralph Lauren white tennis dress to a custom Lacoste outfit and Loewe tennis ball heels, which generated a lot of buzz.
According to data and insights platform Launchmetrics, mentions of “tennis scores” in social media and online posts and articles increased 527 percent in April compared to the previous month, generating more than $10.8 million in Media Impact Value (MIV), a metric the company uses to measure the monetary value of a brand's performance on social platforms.
The growing interest in luxury fashion in tennis also offers players exciting opportunities to evolve their attire on and off the court.
“We're used to being surrounded by sports brands,” says Britain's number one women's singles tennis player, Katie Boulter. ELLE UK From a French Open player: “It's exciting to work with a brand that makes me want to change up my regular tennis attire every now and then, especially if it gets me into the luxury world,” including brands like Loewe, Louis Vuitton and Dior, who are all big fans of tennis.
Naomi Osaka, who has always worn Nike shoes on the court since 2018, has a number of deals with top luxury and fashion brands, including TAG Heuer and, most recently, Louis Vuitton, which featured the Japanese tennis star in its Spring/Summer 2021 campaign.
Jannik Sinner and Gucci's latest collaboration has been a smash hit so far. According to Launch Metrics, the campaign generated $1 million in MIV in the 48 hours since its release on May 9. A joint Instagram post between the luxury brand and the upcoming tennis star has garnered over 100,000 likes this month. Jannik Sinner's partnership with Gucci at Wimbledon last year generated $2.9 million in MIV on social media in one month.
It's a win-win for everyone involved.
“The brand will partner with professional athletes [and] “Luxury brands have a strong connection to the fan base that spectates top-level sports,” Boulter said. “Luxury brands are closely associated with the sport of tennis and tend to attract that same demographic.”
ELLE Collective is a new community for fashion, beauty and culture lovers. Become a member today to access exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from editors and industry experts, and opportunities to meet designers, thought leaders and stylists. here.
