Our Take On Tennis
As someone that works in the clothing industry and is an avid tennis player, I never understood why the sport’s apparel was so “lame”. The dri-fit shirts, stiff polo colors, random crazy stripe prints, it never made sense to me.
I grew up with a racket in hand - initially my right hand, then my left (more on that later). I watched my dad and his buddies play, learned about every major tournament and even attended Indian Wells (before it was the BNP Paribas).
I played with my right hand until I was thirteen and relearned to play with my natural left hand so I could get that lefty serve advantage. However, I loved my team sports - I had too much fun traveling with my soccer team, hanging with my teammates to go alone to random parts of California to play tournaments every weekend and really get serious. Now, years later as an adult, I have fallen more in love with the sport and want to show people why it’s so special.
As someone that works in the clothing industry and is an avid tennis player, I never understood why the sport’s apparel was so “lame”. The dri-fit shirts, stiff polo colors, random crazy stripe prints, it never made sense to me. Tennis is the one sport where your clothing can easily be worn on and off court. It also felt like an ignored category by all the major sports brands - go into any of their stores and you won’t find a tennis section.
I wanted to bring back the heritage of tennis that I saw photos of growing up - the old cotton tennis club tees, purposefully designed tennis outfits, and a logo that has a personality. These items should be able to be worn before, during and after your game. Today, I play singles, doubles, and live ball. The game has changed to become more modern, relaxed and fun.
The most important facet of entering this market to me is that we do it authentically. I have personally worn and tested the pieces we’ve created to make sure they perform as good as they look. The pieces feel great after hours of play (I played in a five hour tournament in the Logo Player Shorts and YONY Tennis Core Tee to give it a real test). YONY is at its core a contemporary menswear brand; but we know we can bring this style sensibility to the court in a functional and fun way.
Hear from Johnny and his dad, Allen, about the state of the clothing industry, tennis and their relationship overall.
I grew up surrounded by the tennis crew. I wanted to be a part of the game, the yelling, the hanging out. Our tennis collection is about bringing that feeling to life.
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