As the Euros continue, the Olympics loom and Wimbledon starts, sport is the big merchandise story in the UK at the moment and retail is taking a deep dive. Selfridges, for instance, has kicked off its summer Sportopia theme.

But despite the football obsession and other sports in the news, it’s tennis that seems to be winning in the style stakes and new data shows that the sport is trending strongly. A ‘tennis-core’ focus has been building up on social media in recent months, as well as in the weeks leading up to and the early days of the Wimbledon championships.

Data from ​​earned media analytics platform WeArisma has identified the cultural moments and ​​influential sources driving tennis fashion and the most talked about brands within it for summer 2024.

For a start, it said this is the trend’s most popular summer yet, which is some achievement given that tennis-core always trends at this time of year.

Historical data from WeArisma shows that conversation on social media around tennis-influenced fashion builds momentum from March every year, with its peak coinciding with Wimbledon in July. 

However, in May 2024, influencers, celebrities and press shared over 4,500 posts mentioning the trend on social media – an 18% increase year on year. 

The company said the surge in interest can be explained by “cultural moments and brand endorsements that have been widely shared and discussed on social media platforms”. 

It cited Zendaya’s press tour wardrobe for the tennis-themed movie, Challengers, which kicked off in March and dominated conversations among influential sources on social media, with 1,251 posts mentioning the star’s looks. 

“Not only has the movie propelled the popularity of the tennis-core trend, but ​​also that of the fashion houses that collaborated with Zendaya as she paid homage to the film through her fashion choices,” WeArisma said.  

Media value of content relating to the star and the trend adds up to $42.5 million+, “demonstrating how powerful it is for brands to tap into cultural moments and ignite conversation among engaged audiences”.

As for the brands making the most of this, Loewe was behind various looks on the Challengers press tour, “helping to secure its spot as the most talked about tennis-core brand on social media”. 

Tennis ball heels and a drop-waist tennis dress worn by Zendaya at the Rome preview ​​proved big hit with a Vogue Instagram post showcasing the look generating $1.11 million in media value. Loewe’s total media value generated around the trend is $6 million+ since April this year.

WeArisma said too that the influence of Challengers fashion “also demonstrates how effective celebrity-driven campaigns are for triggering trends and​​ aligning brands within them”.  

Other brands maximising the trend include Louis Vuitton and Gucci following campaigns with tennis players. Since Carlos Alcaraz became a Louis Vuitton ambassador in June 2023, social media content has generated $1.99 million in media value. Jannik Sinner’s collaboration with Gucci has created a media value of $2.569 million since January 2022. Louis Vuitton’s media value around the trend since April is $1.688 million and Gucci’s is $2.597 million.

Lululemon and Alo Yoga have contributed to the increasing popularity of the tennis-c​​ore trend as well, generating $1.11 million and $530,179 in media value, respectively, since April, earning mentions from influencers such as Sydney Adams and Vee Vee Mendoza.

The top 10 brands capitalising on the tennis-core trend have generated a media value of $20.392 milliom since the beginning of April.

While Loewe is in first place, as mentioned, Lacoste has unsurprisingly ridden the trend too and is in second place with a media value of $3.14 million in recent months.

Partnering with prestigious tennis players, Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams and Olivia Elliot helped it become the second-most-talked-about brand in the trend. A TikTok post showcasing Elliot, who plays for Great Britain, in Lacoste clothing reached an engagement rate of 638.89%. 

The brand has also taken its tennis focus into high-profile retail spaces and is currently staging a takeover of part of the Selfridges Oxford Street space.

Gucci is in third place, and also enjoying a boost from the trend has been Ralph Lauren in fourth place ($2.324 million). The brand’s London store is currently dressed in a Wimbledon-themed wrapper. And Selfridges is promoting the Polo Ralph Lauren x Wimbledon collection. Lauren has been the official outfitter of Wimbledon since 2006 and this year has a new capsule collection linked to this.

Jacquemus is at number five ($1.738 million), Louis Vuitton sixth, Bulgari seventh ($1.431 million), and Carolina Herrera eighth ($1.197 million). Lululemon ($1.115 million) and Thom Browne ($1 million) round out the top 10.

Jenny Tsai, CEO and founder of WeArisma, said: “Spring and early summer 2024 have seen tennis-influenced fashion experience more social media popularity than ever before. Brands have wholeheartedly embraced this trend and leveraged collaborations with celebrities, athletes, and influencers, propelling this movement to new heights. Our data underscores the pivotal role of strategic partnerships in allowing brands to harness trends through earned media and become synonymous ​​with the looks.”