Wimbledon – The Rise of Sport Fashion Trends
Wimbledon is a renowned British institution and an important date in the annual social calendar. As the world’s finest tennis players descend on leafy London, attention is equally placed both on and off the court. Now a must-attend for any celebrity and the general public, we take a look at the rise of the sport fashion trends and the stand-out fashion disruptors.
Making Match History
What began as simple medical gauze wrapped around Fred Perry’s wrist to wipe off sweat, became the sweatband trend we know of today. The famous tennis player was one of the leaders in sport fashion trends as he leveraged his talent, popularity and experience to introduce a high-tech fibre clothing line geared towards other athletes, which was subsequently picked up by other fashion labels. The tennis star’s staple item, a fitted white polo shirt, opened up an entire era of designers dedicating their fashion lines to tennis, using the iconic Fred Perry shirt as inspiration. Still considered one of the pioneers of ‘tennis fashion’, his clothing brand has continuously sparked new trends in the fashion world.
The Court Brand Runway
The outfits on the court have proved to cause a media storm off the court. Since fashion began to invade centre court, there have been some key moments which have made the headlines, from American tennis player Anne White’s 1985 white unitard, Andre Agassi refusing to play Wimbledon because he didn’t approve of the strict all-white dress code, to Maria Sharapova’s Nike-designed tuxedo-inspired ensemble in 2008. In recent years fashion and tennis have become even more synonymous, Serena Williams made a front page splash with her all-in-one black catsuit at the French Open, whilst Uniqlo announced a $300 million sponsor agreement with Roger Federer.
Ace Fashion Ambassadors
Fashion labels ranging from high-street to high-end are all gaining incredible coverage from socialites and celebrities donning their pieces at Wimbledon. Thanks to the rise in ecommerce, buying clothes is now a mere click away and often items worn by celebrities will start trending – and even sell out – within minutes of being shared on social media or by the press. Before she became a Duchess, Meghan Markle made the headlines for her Wimbledon outfit in 2016 as a brand ambassador for Ralph Lauren.
It is clear that whilst sporting history is made on Wimbledon’s tennis lawns, there’s also a huge amount of attention on the outfits and fashion-trends that the world famous tennis tournament brings along with it. However, sport fashion trends goes above and beyond a simple outfit or style, it’s a multi-million pound industry which has garnered the attention of global brands looking for their ace.
Written by the Cherish PR team