With Wimbledon on the go again, it’s only right we cast our technical spotlight over on fashion’s favourite sport: tennis.

Time and time again tennis has infiltrated subculture both in the UK and abroad with its stripped-back yet sophisticated clothing and footwear, which has long been a key instigator and source of inspiration in the evolutionary cycle of streetwear.

Lacoste

Founded back in 1933 by ‘The Crocodile’ himself, René Lacoste – who boasts two Wimbledon Men’s Singles as well as 5 other Grand Slam titles – and his entrepreneurial business partner, André Gillier; Lacoste is the luxury poster boy of vintage tennis with tenacity interwoven in its DNA.

Lacoste opened its gates to immediate success. The Troyes brand made history from the get-go by being the first label of its kind to adopt a logo onto its clothing – you know the one – but also by producing the world’s first short sleeved ‘petit piqué’ lightweight polo shirt which revolutionised the typical long-sleeved variants governing the sport at the time and caused a cultural shockwave that spread far and wide from the confinements of the court.

The History of Wimbledon

1800s

The ‘All England Club’ was founded solely for croquet back in 1868 off of Worple Road, Wimbledon, North London. However, in 1875, a lawn was allocated for a new sport that went by the name of tennis. Nobody at the time knew quite how significant this decision would ultimately prove to be.

Let’s skip up a bit to 1877 when Spencer Gore won the first ever Men’s Singles championship. This version of the game was still being played with snowshoe-like rackets and balls with hand-sewn flannel outer casings. Towards the end of the century the tournament was expanded to accommodate Women’s Singles.

1900s

A lot went down in the 1900s. 

Fred Perry won a trio of championships; the first of which ended an almost quarter-century wait without a home winner in 1934 and then two more in 1935 and 1936 successively. From 1937 onwards, Wimbledon would be broadcast by the BBC. The Fred Perry Polo Shirt is still a subcultural working-class icon to this very day that’s been adopted by mods, ska circles, terrace casuals and many others who were all united by this cotton piqué front.

When colourised TV swept the globe it would capture greats such as Sue Barker and Stan Smith in real life hues, leaving the days of black and white in the rear-view mirror. The decade that followed bore witness to epic battles between Bjorg Borg and John McEnroe to name but one fiery famous feud.

2000s

An era of domination for Roger Federer and both Venus and Serena Williams. You know the names.

Honourable callouts include Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi, the latter of whom was also dominant in the ’90s and was the face for Nike’s Air Tech Challenge II line both on-and-off the court. The cult-status retro design is currently seeing a new lease of life out of Beaverton’s prestigious archive. Oh yeah, and he was also a big Sergio Tacchini kind of guy.

Andy Murray also claimed two Wimbledon titles, the first of which was in 2013 and ended a 77-year drought without a UK champion after he beat Serbian titan Novak Djokovic. 

Reebok Club C

Few others struggle to capture the spirit of ‘80s tennis as well as Reebok’s Club C lineage. The Bolton brand’s simple yet smart design language won over hearts of not just competitive tennis players but also casuals alike thanks to its garment leather build, lightweight nylon tongue, breezy perforations and sweat-wicking terry cloth collar lining. Ace.

Check out some more white footwear staples over on the size? blog.