It’s my favorite time of year, when Open Season and Fashion Week collide.
My timeline is filled with so many Open images, past and present. After all, it’s the most attended event in America and the sport’s cultural capital is exploding. Fashion week appears to be on the opposite trajectory — the concept, long lead times, and extreme exclusivity seem socially superfluous at this point — but with the writers’ strike it will pick up some of Hollywood’s “see and be seen” slack. Expect the front rows to be more star-studded than usual.
Tennis, though, is more than having its moment. The pandemic lifted the sport and the halo effect stuck, while the rising popularity of pickle and paddle has bolstered its profile. Tennis is a global sport and (credit Netflix or not) there are amazing new stars emerging from all walks of life. It also has great style, with its elevated athleisure, and frankly always has. Historically, you play tennis in hopes of meeting your future mate 🙂
I love how streetwear and luxury collide on the court. From sleeveless shorts sets to the NBA-like Tunnel Walk that Venus replicated, tennis’ latest cohort of style-conscious stars have made the personalities and personal brands an incredible fan and social media experience. This has in turn created opportunities for killer commerce. Some of the cooler drops I’ve seen are:
- Morgan x Lottie NYC ‘tennis bracelet’
- IBM AI
- MRKT
- New York or Nowhere Tennis
- Supreme Nike Foamposite aka The Courtposite
Carlos Alcaraz is not only one of the sport’s new saviors, he’s also the face of Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and Babolat. When it rains it pours and he reigns supreme (unless Djokovic beats him!)
There are a lot of great brands activating right now, big and small. Check out Ralph Lauren, Nike, Paterson, Lacoste, Ashe, Hydrogen, and many more.
On another note, it’s almost the 4th Quarter which means conference season is in full effect. It’s impossible to be everywhere and remain productive, but here are a few events to check out where I’ll be sharing my expertise:
- Brandweek in Miami, September 11-14: You can register for individual passes at 25% off by using code: BWNUEAGENCY25 or this direct link.
- Mondo in Williamsburg, BK, Oct 10-13: The discount code is beatsbytes25 for 25% off all Mondo 2023 current badge prices.
- NOLA MusiCon in New Orleans, Oct 27-30: The code below is good for 25% off ticket price. BEATSBYTES23
- Water & Music Academy ONLINE, October 3-26: We have opened up registrations for our music marketing data bootcamp with discount code WM-FRIENDS good for 15% checkout.
Also published on Medium.