The US Open has long been one of tennis’s crown jewels, but in recent years it has evolved into something far bigger — a cultural playground where sport, fashion, and lifestyle converge. With New York Fashion Week looming, the city’s attention is momentarily locked on Flushing Meadows, where brands and athletes are blurring the lines between performance and presentation.
Last year, the overlap between the US Open and Fashion Week created a unique crossover, with celebrities and tastemakers bouncing between courtside boxes and front-row runway seats. In 2024, Naomi Osaka set the tone by collaborating with Nike and Ambush on one of the most talked-about outfits of the tournament. Now, in 2025, the fashion-sport fusion has only accelerated — and brands across categories are seizing the stage.
Vuori’s Entry Into Tennis
Vuori, founded in California in 2014, has quickly grown from a men’s yoga apparel start-up into a $5.5 billion powerhouse. After diversifying into womenswear and lifestyle clothing, tennis is its next frontier. The move feels organic: Vuori’s minimalist sweatpants and shirts were already being adopted on courts informally, and since 2022 the brand has been quietly developing tennis-specific collections.
The final piece of the puzzle? An athlete face for the campaign. That arrives with British star Jack Draper, ranked world No. 5, who is set to be unveiled as Vuori’s first marquee tennis ambassador in New York this week. Draper, already connected to fashion via his Burberry deal, offers Vuori both credibility and crossover appeal.
This move also reflects Nike’s deliberate consolidation strategy, focusing resources on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner while leaving space for challenger brands like Vuori, On, and Lululemon to compete for rising stars.
Racquet x MSCHF: Tennis as Cultural Mischief
Independent tennis publication Racquet Magazine has consistently positioned itself as a tastemaker. For 2025, it joins forces with art-fashion disruptors MSCHF to launch a $650 limited-edition tennis-ball-inspired bag.
The collaboration has already generated buzz, with players themselves reportedly requesting the piece ahead of its release. Expect to see it courtside during walk-ons — a perfect example of how tennis is becoming a backdrop for playful cultural experimentation.
Adidas Reignites With Y-3
Adidas, a sleeping giant in tennis apparel, is reawakening through its Y-3 line, created with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. The brand’s new 18-piece US Open capsule features apparel inspired by Japanese ink-wash art and reimagined versions of its Barricade and Ubersonic shoes.
Top players including Alexander Zverev, Jessica Pegula, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will debut the collection on court. Whether this marks a sustained strategy or a short-term fashion push remains to be seen — but it signals Adidas’ recognition that tennis requires not just performance gear but cultural storytelling.
On’s Community-First Play
Swiss brand On continues to reshape tennis culture with grassroots engagement. Its “Thanks for Playing” truck has been touring New York, offering services like racket restringing in partnership with Pro Shop NYC and staging community activations at local courts.
Unlike legacy players, On is embedding itself into the sport’s lifestyle layer — DJ sets, pop-up events, and collaborations that feel authentic to tennis’s new generation of fans.
The Jewellery & Lifestyle Wave
Jewellery is another sector capitalizing on tennis’s moment in the cultural spotlight. Brands such as Mejuri and Gorjanaare building athlete-led campaigns, while events like Asics’ “Courtside on the Hudson” democratize access by blending open play with brand experiences.
Even athletes are joining the entrepreneurial wave: doubles world No. 1 Taylor Townsend is launching her own label, “TT,” developed with designer Alexander-John.
Tennis as Culture Capital
The US Open has become more than a Grand Slam — it is now a launchpad for brands seeking cultural relevance. Just as Wimbledon has become a global stage for luxury, New York’s edition is morphing into a festival of creativity, where performance, fashion, and commerce collide.
For tennis, this is bigger than sponsorship. It’s about identity. The sport is increasingly less about rackets and rankings, and more about what it represents: lifestyle, aspiration, and cultural capital.
365247 Insight:
The US Open is no longer just a sporting event; it is a case study in how modern sport creates platforms for brands to test, collaborate, and disrupt. Tennis, once viewed as traditional, is now the proving ground for next-generation sports marketing.
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IMAGE: AP
