Why Tennis?
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.
Every weekend was the same. My dad would get up early to grab coffee, croissants and play tennis with his buddies. I would pile into his 2002 pink Ford Thunderbird alongside his giant bag of tennis rackets and go along for the ride.
Frank Sinatra, Ben E. King, and other 50s artists would blast through the stereo as the tennis game awaited.
The real action started when we got to the court. I watched as the "A" players stretched, checked their strings and discussed last night's dinner as they approached the service line. The banter ceased as soon as the first serve went up. These backyard level players suddenly believed the US Open had begun and Arthur Ashe Stadium was their battleground.
I yearned to get into the game. We'll use height to quantify my skill level - 4'0" to 5'2" I thought I was good enough. But I sat quietly and waited my turn. I loved every second. As I got older (5'6" and up) I got subbed into the "C" game, then the "B" game, and eventually the "A" game.
My dad was my preferred doubles partner. He would yell at me to "keep your head up!" every time I double faulted, but I learned from the pressure.
Tennis is a sport that is trendy to some brands, a fad to some players and a necessary category to the major athletic brands. With YONY, I have the opportunity to translate the feeling that I got watching my dad and his buddies play every weekend and turn it into something tennis should be - "cool".
YONY Tennis is here to show that we give a shit about the sport and we can bring it into the YONY ethos.
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.
Hear from Johnny and his dad, Allen, about the state of the clothing industry, tennis and their relationship overall.
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