Op-Ed | Luxury Brands Have Tennis Fever
Lorenzo Musetti didn’t last long at Wimbledon this year. But the seventh-ranked player, in his fleeting visit to the All England Club, delivered what will surely be one of the most discussed fashion moments of the tournament.On Wednesday, Musetti walked on court wearing a Bottega Veneta jacket, debuting his ambassadorship for the Italian luxury house, roughly a month after he appeared in Bottega’s “Craft Is Our Language” campaign and the brand’s creative director, Louise Trotter, was spotted in his player’s box during Roland Garros.The pre-match walk-on has become tennis’ equivalent to the NBA/WNBA tunnel walk that’s proven a marketing goldmine for fashion brands. It started in a big way two years ago, when Gucci used a Wimbledon walk-on to announce its deal with Jannik Sinner, who carried a branded bag onto centre court that would ordinarily have violated the tournament’s dress code, only days after Louis Vuitton signed Carlos Alcaraz.Luxury brands have since flooded into tennis for fear of missing out — and for many of the same reasons that they flooded into Formula 1. The racing competition became particularly appealing to high-end brands for its mix of old-world upper-class vibes and newfound reach with wider audiences. Ditto tennis, whose time appears to be here.It makes sense that brands are increasingly using Wimbledon, in particular, for splashy marketing. It’s not only the most famous of the four tennis grand slams, but its strict traditions make for a visual environment where brand messaging pops, a rarity in the modern sports world, where venues are typically dominated by advertising.Sadly, Bottega will miss out on the opportunity to celebrate its new Musetti partnership while still fresh. But that’s part of the risk brands take when they decide to work with professional athletes — the narrative is simply out of their control.But that hasn’t stopped brands from taking the plunge. Most brands pick an all-star player from their home country. Just as Bottega snapped up Musetti, Burberry signed Jack Draper. And yet, Canali broke ranks on Monday by signing Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.But women players have been noticeably sidelined. Naomi Osaka was made a Louis Vuitton ambassador back in 2021, but it’s unclear what’s happened to that relationship. Iga Swiatek signed a partnership with Lancôme in April of last year. Dior signed Qinwen Zheng in January. But that’s pretty much the extent of it. (Miu Miu is working with Coco Gauff, though the relationship is via New Balance, not a full-blown ambassador deal between player and fashion brand).It seems a major missed opportunity on the part of fashion brands to overlook the women’s tour. Tennis is one of the few global sports where some of the greatest female players command the same level of regard as their male counterparts.Women tennis stars would make for ideal luxury brand ambassadors, helping brands speak to their majority female audiences in fresh ways. Will we see more relationships between women players and brands in the coming years? The first brand to come up with a smart partnership with a female player could really hit the jackpot.The views expressed in Opinion pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Business of Fashion.How to submit: The Business of Fashion accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. The suggested length is 700-1000 words, but submissions of any length within reason will be considered. All submissions must be original and exclusive to BoF. Submissions may be sent to opinion@businessoffashion.com. Please include ‘Opinion’ in the subject line and be sure to substantiate all assertions. Given the volume of submissions we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond in the event that an article is not selected for publication.
