Rise Of Tenniscore Fashion Extends To Footwear

As tennis professionals don the all-whites needed at Wimbledon, brands from across the world continue to embrace all things tennis-inspired fashion, now dubbed tenniscore. Already we’ve seen a push from non-traditional tennis brands into fashion, but that push now strongly extends into footwear.

“Anything to get more eyes onto tennis,” American tennis star Coco Gauff tells me. “And I love that fashion can be a part of it. Not only is it New Balance, but all of the brands elevating their court [looks].”

A company cobbling together a tennis-inspired skirt or sweater is one thing, but the commitment required by brands to create an entire tennis-inspired footwear silhouette requires another level of dedication.

“Tennis, with its iconic elements from grand slams to fair play, and its stylish aesthetics, has long influenced fashion and popular culture, captivating communities worldwide,” Alex Griffin, On CMO, tells me.

That means popular culture lifestyle has long held a tie to tennis. “When we talk about lifestyle, we’re referring to the lifestyle of sport—specifically, tennis,” Bryan Poemer, Diadora USA President and CEO, tells me. “Our Heritage and Sportswear collections, representing our lifestyle range, draw directly from the Diadora tennis category’s rich history and extensive back catalog.”

Catherine Spindler, deputy CEO of Lacoste, tells me that tennis and everything associated with it, especially in terms of elegance and lifestyle, have become increasingly celebrated in current culture. “Sneakers are also at the heart of this growing trend,” she says, adding that the brand draws from its rich heritage in the sport to blend sport and fashion.

It is that heritage, both in design and culture, that gives tennis staying power. Barney Waters, K-Swiss Global Brands president, tells me tennis has long served as a strong source of inspiration for lifestyle sneakers, especially with the heavy influence on a white-based simple and elegant design. “These have proven to be timeless, and our classic tennis models have been in our lifestyle line for decades,” Waters says. “Tennis has always been an aspirational sport, played by the rich and famous, so that always lends itself well to sneakers for style or fashion.”

For New Balance, there’s a connection to the tradition and what that stands for. “Tennis, particularly vintage tennis, has been a pillar of recent trends due to its association with preppy institutions and timeless, minimal aesthetics,” Jack Warner, product manager on the New Balance T500 lifestyle shoe. “As the oldest and arguably most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon itself embodies this kind of inspiration through its heritage and traditions.”

With that rich historic nature, brands have both unique archives from their own past and style influence from multiple decades. The 1970s showcased the low-profile designs often associated with tennis-inspired looks, while the 1980s started bringing in more technologies. The 1990s stepped up both the technology and the use of materials, giving off a more robust style of shoe. As footwear makers craft lifestyle versions for today, they can mix and match from both brand archives and decade-specific inspiration.

Poemer says Diadora’s “historical foundation” in the sport allows the brand to remain relevant in the current market. And they’ve really leaned into the opportunity, offering some of the trendiest, yet luxurious, models for tennis-inspired lifestyle. The made-in-Italy silhouettes of the B.560 and B.Elite both have a direct tie to tennis and show the range of historic styles. The B.Elite plays directly off a 1980 model that is akin to a 1970s look, while the B.560 is the latest from the brand, a design styled after 1990s tennis.

K-Swiss, which has specialized in tennis since 1966, uses the sport to build out the entire range of shoes, with the lifestyle offerings now featuring a complete mix, including the newer Slamm 99 CC, a take of the early 1990s Ascendor performance shoe, and the Lozan Match, a take on 1970s tennis.

The entire Tennis Heritage line from Lacoste is meant to celebrate the brand’s tennis roots but come reinterpreted in a contemporary way. Along with its performance tennis line, Spindler says the brand also looks to merge the world of tennis into its Active line, using inspiration from the sport’s history in other activities, such as the L003 franchise for running.

Warner says New Balance have taken inspiration “both literally and abstractly” through models such as the CT300 and CT302 in recent years, one a direct tie to a 1979 silhouette and another an updated take on vintage tennis. The T500 borrows from 1980s tennis style and technology and has become the brand’s tennis-inspired lifestyle offering.

Griffin says that tennis’ influence, much like running, extends beyond the court. “That’s why we create products that transcend performance and lifestyle,” he says. On has done this with a range of lifestyle products within The Roger lineup, which now has nine different lifestyle and performance models.

On recently partnered with Japanese label Beams on a lifestyle version of The Roger Pro and Japanese streetwear specialists Atmos on a The Roger Clubhouse Pro, both performance models meant to have a streetwear look.

Wilson this year updated its Pro Staff 87 shoe, both in materials and colors, to play into the power of tennis lifestyle. “You can expect Wilson to explore and release a variety of exciting color and material options in the future, keeping the Pro Staff 87 fresh and relevant for both long-time fans and new enthusiasts,” Shivam Bhan, senior director of product and merchandising for Wilson, tells me.

Brands from across the globe—and not just the traditional tennis players—are growing tennis-inspired designs. Reebok brought the Court Victory Pump back in March, ensuring that the shoe made famous by Michael Chang has a place in lifestyle culture more than 30 years later. New colorways have released throughout the year.

Puma recently embraced tennis in a more robust way. The Puma Star release is the first reissue of the Wimbledon shoe from 1970, a classic ‘70s take on a clean, heritage design. The GV Special got refreshed this year with new colorways and construction. Reissued from the archives and from the feet of Guillermo Vilas, the updated version features new colorways and construction with tumbled leather, perforations in the toe and gold lettering.

Italian brand Lotto has dipped into history to keep its Leggenda Autograph silhouette alive, a design that takes inspiration from models in the 1970s and 1980s.

At Nike, one of the key players in tennis in the 1980s and 1990s, the brand has reenergized its Killshot 2 silhouette, bringing more colors to market alongside a newer Court Legacy model

featuring a pebbled upper with the heritage stitching common from tennis. Last year, Nike brought back the Attack, a one-to-one recreation of John McEnroe’s iconic 1980s look, getting a variety of colorway treatments since its launch—and Carlos Alcaraz sporting them aplenty during the 2023 U.S. Open. The range gives the Swoosh a mix of tennis-inspired lifestyle looks spanning multiple decades.

For brands both with rich tennis history and with a fresh approach to the game, there’s a current dedication to a reliable trend. Poerner says Diadora “considers ourselves fortunate to have such a wealth of incredible stories to build upon,” while Lacoste’s Spindler knows the French brand will continue to embrace its archive. “This is a commitment,” she says, “we continue to nurture and sustain.”