As some of the golf population that surged during COVID-19 has moved to tennis, the fashion industry is taking note. It is easy to repurpose court-born items such as polo shirts, pleated skirts and sneakers as everyday wear, and this dovetails with wellness and premium lifestyle trends.
Global luxury brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior are appointing world-class tennis players as ambassadors one after another and using the tennis court as a new stage for fashion marketing. In this trend, F&F(383220)'s global tenniswear brand Sergio Tacchini, acquired four years ago, is also expanding its top line every year.
According to the fashion industry on the 18th, F&F is continuing efforts to expand Sergio Tacchini into a "premium active wellness lifestyle brand" that spans sport and daily life. For this spring-summer season, it put forward "Court to Life," highlighting not only tenniswear but also crewnecks and hoodies, and windbreaker sets that can be used in everyday life.
Sergio Tacchini is a brand created in 1966 by Italian tennis player Sergio Tacchini, named after himself. By introducing bold colors and designs to tenniswear, which had been mostly white, it established itself as a representative brand that fuses tennis and fashion. Tennis stars of the era, including John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis and Gabriela Sabatini, wore the brand, building global recognition.
In 2022, F&F acquired 100% equity in the holding company that owns the brand's intellectual property (IP) and the U.S. operating company for a total of 82.7 billion won. Since the acquisition, it has been strengthening both the tennis heritage and lifestyle image.
F&F's expectations for Sergio Tacchini align with the growth formula the company has built through MLB. After securing the license for Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1997, F&F reinterpreted MLB, which had remained baseball merchandise, into a lifestyle fashion brand centered on caps and apparel. As it then expanded into Asian markets including China, MLB grew into F&F's flagship brand, generating nearly 2 trillion won in annual sales.
Tennis's status within the fashion industry has been rising rapidly. According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the U.S. tennis population reached 27.3 million last year, up 1.6 million from the previous year, a record high. That is a 54% increase from 2019. Along with the rise in tennis participation, demand is growing not only for actual athletic wear but also for everyday clothing inspired by tennis.
Tennis is considered easier than other sports to extend into the fashion field. That is because items that originated on the court—such as polo shirts, pleated skirts and sneakers—can be used naturally in everyday life. Coupled with tennis's unique premium image and the influence of young star players, it is attracting not only participants but also general fashion consumers.
In the fashion industry, brands emphasizing tennis heritage are also strengthening related businesses and marketing. FILA Holdings Corp. has hosted the urban tennis festival "White Open Seoul" annually since 2023 in downtown Seoul, nurturing tennis as the brand's core sports content. Since last year, it has also held the "FILA Club Match" for tennis club members.
Global luxury houses are also widening their touchpoints with tennis players. In January, Gucci signed Belarusian women's tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, who has Australian Open and US Open titles, as a global brand ambassador.
Dior named China's Zheng Qinwen, the women's singles gold medalist in tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as a global ambassador last year. Louis Vuitton also selected Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz as a house ambassador in 2023.
Amid this trend, Sergio Tacchini has been rapidly growing its scale since the F&F acquisition. Sales at Sergio Tacchini Operations, which manages Sergio Tacchini's global business, increased from 32.9 billion won in 2023 to 37.1 billion won in 2024, and 48.6 billion won last year.
A Sergio Tacchini official said, "Starting with brand heritage rooted in tennis, we aim to provide an expanded wellness experience that shares the value of healthy living across everyday life," adding, "We will continue activities that inspire the daily lives of global consumers."