<p>Tennis and diamonds have shared a history for about a hundred years. Most people assume the connection is obvious. A sport played in pristine white, originally played on manicured grass, by some of the most photographed women in the world, would naturally feature jewellery. However, the relationship has an actual starting point, a gradual evolution, and, now, a second act in which jewellery brands aren’t just dressing tennis players, they are also designing with them.</p><p>The story begins like this: Chris Evert, who helped define an entire era of tennis along with her great rival Martina Navratilova in the 1970s and ’80s, lost her George Bedewi diamond bracelet mid-match. Evert refused to continue until the bracelet was found. When a reporter asked about it, she called it her “tennis bracelet”. While the details of this story have been corrected over time—for example, many reported it happened in 1987 instead of 1978, the correct year, the essence remains the same. It was the birth of a new jewellery category—sport and sparkle, fused by accident, forever.</p><h3><strong>The real origin story</strong></h3><p>The story of the tennis bracelet, however, goes back even further. In the 1920s, fashionable women stacked “diamond line” bracelets, which had no connection to sports at all. The tennis bracelet, in other words, is a century-old object that spent 50 years without its now inextricable name. Even the idea of a diamond bracelet on a tennis court predates Evert; actor Farrah Fawcett was seen wearing one courtside at a 1976 charity tennis match, two years before the Chris Evert incident.</p><h3><strong>A century before the name</strong></h3><p>If you’re looking for a true predecessor, you have to look back to 1920s and Suzanne Lenglen, the first global tennis celebrity, known to the French press as La Divine. Lenglen, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles and was nearly unbeatable for most of that decade, played wearing her signature bandeau headbands (sometimes pinned with natural diamonds) and silk stockings. Her flapper-inspired outfits designed by Jean Patou were considered scandalous for the time just because they showed her forearms and calves. Lenglen often secured her bandeau with a jewelled pin and used small French coins to keep her white silk stockings in place. Wimbledon, overwhelmed by her popularity, had to move to larger grounds to accommodate the crowds.</p><p>Lenglen never had a product named after her—but she was crucial in setting the standard for fashionable women in sports.</p><h3><strong>A ring of one’s own</strong></h3><p>There’s another micro-tradition worth mentioning: women wearing their engagement rings during major matches. In June this year, Serena Williams competed at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thenodmag.com/search/wimbledon?page=1&amp;sort=desc">Wimbledon</a> while wearing her 12-carat diamond engagement ring from husband Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder she married in 2017. In 2004, Anna Kournikova was famously photographed at a charity World Team Tennis match wearing an ultra-rare 11-carat pink diamond ring rumoured to be priced between $5 to $6 million. <i>Marie Claire</i>, sizing up Aryna Sabalenka’s 14-carat ring against that lineage, called it as large as the ones Williams and Kournikova had worn before her.</p><p>Which is what makes Sabalenka’s choice this year so pointed. She got engaged in March 2026 to entrepreneur and sports investor Georgios Frangulis, then showed up at Wimbledon in full custom diamonds and emeralds—everything except the ring. The decision was practical: a stone that size might disrupt a serve. But it’s also a modern-day inversion of the Evert story. Where Evert’s bracelet coming loose in 1978 became the whole point, Sabalenka was consciously avoiding the exact kind of on-court jewellery accident that made it one.</p><h3><strong>The athlete has a new job description</strong></h3><p>Much has changed in the relationship between athletes and jewellery. Evert did not design, market, or profit from her bracelet; the designer George Bedewi did. But the situation has reversed today: the athlete is now the designer.</p><p>In early 2026, Aryna Sabalenka became the first jewellery ambassador for Material Good, a New York-based fine jewellery and watch retailer. She doesn’t just wear the brand’s pieces; she co-creates them with head designer Atara Lev. Each collection is designed for specific tournaments: a coastal set with sapphires for the Australian Open, a garnet-and-natural-diamond suite at Roland-Garros to match the red clay, and an emerald-and-natural-diamond set at Wimbledon inspired by her birthstone. The designs consider her need to play; pendants are hollowed to reduce weight, earrings have unobtrusive omega backs for comfort, and necklace closures are reinforced for security.</p><p>This addresses the Evert problem: how can you keep a diamond secure on a body that will sprint, lunge, and serve? Sabalenka has noted that the partnership allows her to design, be creative, and express her individuality. But even without formal partnerships, the US Open has become a showcase for natural diamond houses—courtside coverage now tracks watch and jewellery sponsorships the way it once focused only on outfits.</p><h3><strong>The view from the stands</strong></h3><p>The diamonds-on-court story has a second cast too: the celebrities in the stands. Wimbledon’s Centre Court has become its own runway for natural diamonds. At the 2025 Championships, Catherine, Princess of Wales, was seen in an all-new diamond pendant necklace from British jeweller Daniella Draper, paired with her signature Cartier Trinity earrings. On the final two days she stacked a new diamond eternity ring alongside her sapphire engagement ring for the first time. Sienna Miller paired a tennis bracelet with a diamond-and-gold bangle from British designer <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thenodmag.com/content/east-west-diamond-engagement-rings-zendaya">Jessica McCormack</a>. Meanwhile Daisy Edgar-Jones wore a plain white-gold tennis necklace to the men’s final, and model Jourdan Dunn matched a tennis necklace to a tennis bracelet—the style turning up, fittingly, on the people watching the tennis rather than playing it.</p><p>This year, the matches continued to remain haute. In attendance? The usual mix of royals and A-listers with Catherine, Princess of Wales, returning courtside in her now-familiar rotation of Cartier Trinity pieces. Serena Williams also made headlines by stepping back onto the Wimbledon lawns at 44, wearing her diamond engagement ring and a matching manicure, her first appearance there since retiring from singles in 2022.</p><h3><strong>Tennis left the chat</strong></h3><p>Between the players and the people watching them, the word ‘tennis bracelet’ has done a lot of work over the past century—and along the way, it stopped being attached to tennis at all. ‘Tennis’, in jewellery terms has now come to mean a specific construction: a continuous line of uniform natural diamonds, set close together, flexible enough to move with the body. It has come to signify a piece of jewellery that’s classic, elegant, just like the natural diamonds that it’s set with and the sport that it’s named after. Except, the sport gave the object its name and then let it wander off without it. Now there’s tennis everything—necklaces, chokers, even rings—and we’re not complaining.</p><p>Which puts Sabalenka’s hollowed-out pendants and Evert’s broken clasp on the same continuum, even though one happened by accident and the other by design. Diamonds were never built with a tennis match in mind. But for almost 50 years, tennis players have kept finding reasons to wear them anyway, and lately, they’ve started designing the jewellery themselves. And as far as the current-day relationship between diamonds and tennis is concerned, it looks like—despite the 100-year-old-history—the games have only just begun.</p>

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Game, set, diamonds: It’s tennis season 

The Real Deal

<p>It’s officially sports season, with the ongoing star-studded Grand Prix and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thenodmag.com/content/paradise-road-mumbai-pop-up-the-living-room-story">FIFA World Cup </a>that’s got Indian fans messing up their sleep cycle. And, of course, there’s Wimbledon serving <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cn8kz0vm4d2o">surprises </a>and<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/poojashah/2026/06/18/wimbledon-2026-serves-up-tennis-fashions-strawberry-moment/"> looks</a> we are fully on board with.</p><p>Some traditions become so synonymous with an event that they’re impossible to separate from it; and Wimbledon is full of them. Be it the all-white uniforms, Rufus the resident hawk, or the iconic strawberries and cream.</p><p>This year, the nearly 150-year-old Wimbledon Championships staple has been reimagined for the Indian palate. We’re talking a strawberries and cream kulfi.</p><p>Wimbledon has collaborated with Delhi’s Kuremal's Kulfi, a century-old kulfi brand with a flagship in Chawri Bazar, famous for its stuffed natural kulfis. “The collaboration didn’t come easy,” says Vishal Sharma, director, Kuremal's Kulfi, over the phone. Wimbledon’s marketing team contacted them about three months ago; at first, Sharma dismissed it as a prank. Then began the process of bringing home this Victorian tradition of snacking on strawberries and cream. “They tried a couple of dessert iterations with the iconic snack, but only kulfi blended this age-old tradition perfectly with our Indian culture,” added Sharma.</p>

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<p>After almost a month of sampling, the strawberries and cream kulfi was launched two days ago at the brand’s Hauz Khas Market, Bengali Market, Connaught Place, and Chandni Chowk outlets. Available only till July 12, the flavour is flying off the freezers. (For now, Kuremal's is producing over a thousand sticks a day.) “People are calling us all day long asking for deliveries,” Sharma adds.</p><p>This, however, isn’t the first time the Wimbledon has come home; players’ names were once imprinted onto a six-yard handloom sari, and the iconic green and purple towels are made in India by Welspun. We’ll wait to see what’s next.</p><p><i>The strawberries and cream kulfi is priced at ₹80</i>. <i>To place your order, call 9999444694 or visit the select stores</i></p>

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This strawberries and cream kulfi delivers

Now serving

<p>There’s no dress code at Wimbledon, not officially. But if there were, Masaba Gupta would have passed in her tennis whites. The designer, who attended the Championships in London for the first time this year, came prepared with pearls and the comfiest sneakers she owns. “I’m a creature of comfort,” she tells us, “and I don’t like to be in an outfit that I won’t enjoy my day in.”</p><p>In between sipping Pimm’s, spotting <a href="https://thenodmag.com/tag/bridgerton"><i>Bridgerton</i></a> cast members, and sitting next to Baby Spice (“I think I nearly fainted”), Masaba kept notes on everything: what was in her jute Longchamp tote, what she ate, what she bought, and what she’d do differently next time. Below, her Wimbledon diary:</p>

<p>“It was a pretty warm day in London, so I picked a muslin malkha bomber jacket with two of the Nandi charms from House of Masaba on the chest. With that, I wore a Nike tennis dress that I bought back in 2015. It’s meant to be performance wear, but I like to wear it every day. I was meant to be wearing a pair of black capri pants along with the bomber jacket. But it ripped before I had to leave the house. I accessorised with a long string of pearls—they’re extremely versatile. I had packed high heels because I wanted to look tall, but I gave up and wore the comfiest sneakers I own.”</p>

Masaba wears a Nike tennis dress with a cotton bomber jacket for the Wimbledon semifinals, The Nod Mag

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OOTD

<p>“The energy at Wimbledon is contagious and electric. But at the same time, there’s a lot of culture and respect for the game. It’s calm but set against the backdrop of a highly competitive sport.”</p>

Masaba and Neena Gupta at Wimbledon Centre Court, The Nod Mag

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We’re here!

<p>“My bag was a jute Longchamp with a pink lining. I carried LoveChild <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/best-lip-oils-beauty-makeup-trend">lip oil</a> for touch-ups, some eye drops, and my credit card. I wasn’t carrying an umbrella—my mum was. That’s what mums do. I don’t think it even struck me to carry one.</p><p>My lunch was some broad bean salad, lots of Pimm’s, some chicken and cauliflower quiche, and beetroot salad. Pretty healthy. Then I had a bag of candy with Skittles, gummy bears, and some chocolate eclairs.”</p>

Masaba carried a Longchamp bag to Wimbledon, The Nod Mag

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In my bag

<p>“I was seated next to Baby Spice. I think I nearly fainted when I saw her. I’m such a huge Spice Girls fan. I think I creeped her out. I didn’t go up to her or ask for a picture. I just admired her from afar. I also saw a few musicians and the cast members from Bridgerton as well. The weather was very, very hot. In fact, a spectator fainted, so play was stopped for some time. I was rooting for [Aryna] Sabalenka but, unfortunately, she lost the match to Amanda Anisimova.”</p>

Centre Court at Wimbledon through Masaba's eyes, The Nod Mag

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My view

<p>“The day was excellent, especially because <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/neena-gupta-cover-story-interview">my mum</a> was with me.”</p>

A selfie featuring Masaba and Neena taken courtside at Wimbledon, The Nod Mag

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Mandatory courtside selfie

<p>“We had high tea at about 4 pm—egg and cress sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and of course, scones and jam with clotted cream. I did have the strawberries and cream, but I think the idea of it is much more exciting than the actual thing.”</p>

Cakes and sandwiches at Wimbledon, The Nod Mag

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Tea time

<p>“I did a lot of shopping for my baby girl. I got her a really cute teddy bear, and two sweatshirts—one says ‘Wimbledon’ with strawberries on it—and a bib with little racquets on it.”</p>

A teddy bear Masaba bought at Wimbledon, The Nod Mag

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Retail therapy

<p>“A fun outing, a great game of tennis, and just perfect hospitality. Next time? I’d spend more time just taking in the surroundings and less time trying to take pictures.”</p>

A backseat photo of Masaba and Neena's feet as they go back home from Wimbledon, The Nod Mag

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Wimble-done!

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Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon? Not for Masaba

dispatch

<p>When New Delhi-based fashion designer Apoorva Gupta, 30, met businessman Uvraj Bardeja, 29, neither could have predicted they would be wed exactly a year later. A whirlwind courtship followed, and in December 2024, they tied the knot at historic Six Senses Fort Barwara .</p><p>In a candid chat, the two share the rush of putting it all together in under two months. From fits to themes, here’s how it all came together to make a memorable three-day affair.</p><h3>The Proposal</h3><p><strong>Apoorva Bardeja:</strong> I met Uvraj in December 2023, at his best friend’s wedding, and we got married a year later. Last year we had gone on a lot of hikes, escaped to a lot of mountains; it really brought us together. During a holiday with some friends, we went to Austria for a few days, and he proposed while we were on a mountain. There was a picnic spread, and the view was beautiful. He even got a photographer to hide out up there. Honestly, that was the best moment for me.</p><p><strong>Uvraj Bardeja: </strong>It was at a hotel called Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, a really beautiful place that I’ve been visiting with my family since we were kids. She had no idea that I would propose, though. So, when we reached the top, where the picnic was, she was like, oh, maybe someone else is sitting here. Once she realised, of course, she started crying.</p><h3>The Planning</h3><p><strong>Uvraj: </strong>When we visited the Six Senses Fort Barwara [Ranthambore, Rajasthan], it was so beautiful, I think we all had goosebumps. Just one look, and we were sold. Somehow, they ended up having an opening for one of the days we were given by the pundit. Only, it was just 50 days after our visit.</p><p><strong>Apoorva:</strong> I didn’t know how we did it in that time. Just 50 days to plan it all—the clothes, bookings, invites. It seemed like a sign that the venue was available, though, and how it all fell into place.</p><p><strong>Uvraj:</strong> Anyway, I wanted a tiny wedding, just 50 to 60 people.</p><p><strong>Apoorva: </strong>I didn’t want something over the top, but I wanted it to be fun, to have lots of beautiful details. We ended up striking a bargain for somewhere in the middle—around 150 people. When we started planning, each event had a theme. Even our post-wedding reception was themed around Wimbledon. We didn’t want a cliched reception where everyone just wears blingy clothes at an evening event. We wanted it to be a bit more classy, but not sporty or childish. Also, Uvraj is very into tennis.</p><p><strong>Uvraj: </strong>I play most mornings when I can. And when I was younger, I would ditch my tuition classes to go play tennis. I watched Federer win his last title at Wimbledon. For the dress code, I was thinking of the Wimbledon clubhouse in particular, where people are always so well-dressed.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:2400/1600;" src="https://assets.thenodmag.com/website-assets/A_and_U_Reception_19_1_b9eabd7cd3.jpg" alt="A&amp;U Reception -19 (1).jpg|caption|" width="2400" height="1600"><figcaption>The Wimbledon-themed reception was held in New Delhi</figcaption></figure><p><strong>Apoorva</strong>: We went to <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/ira-singh-fsix-wedding-decor-planner-interview">Ira [Singh] of FSix </a>for the décor for that event, and she just took it to another level. After we saw the first moodboard we were just like, you do your thing, you’ve got this.</p><p>In Ranthambore, our first event was a sit-down dinner with just 40 people. It was themed around Rajasthan, so there was a thali, and we had Chugge Khan singing. It was really intimate, really cosy, with rajnigandha everywhere. The next day, for the welcome lunch, our theme was Ralph’s Café, because when I was in New York for my undergrad I used to spend a lot of time at Ralph’s. I was really into the colour palette.</p><p><strong>Uvraj</strong>: Plus, before I met her my wardrobe was really limited to Ralph Lauren.</p><p><strong>Apoorva</strong>: The theme for the sangeet was Shehzada’s Tent. Since we were in Ranthambore, we wanted to lean into the whole glamping situation with trunks and leather couches. Our after-party continued the outdoor vibe. It was called Amazonico and we painted these huge grasslands inside a banquet hall. People went crazy wearing animal print. And our wedding was a classic temple theme, with the mandap made to recreate a temple. Most of our themes were Uvraj’s ideas. He really surprised me with how creative he was with them.</p><p><strong>Uvraj</strong>: We were sitting and chatting with the planners, and everything just came so naturally. Except the last one.</p><p><strong>Apoorva</strong>: For the last after-party, once the wedding was over, the theme was Mad Maharaja. So, women wore evening dresses with full headgear—they kept their wedding jewellery on. Uvraj’s sister and I came up with that theme.</p><p>At each function we also wanted some cute interactive elements. During the haldi, there was a wishing tree where people could write little notes for us, which they would tie on the tree with a little bell. At the welcome lunch there was a phone booth where guests could record their messages to us on an old-school vinyl recorder.</p>

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<h3>The Looks</h3><p><strong>Apoorva: </strong>For the mehendi I wore <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/inside-fashion-designer-anamika-khanna-handm-collab-collection">Anamika Khanna</a>. It was actually a look I had bought before, even before he proposed, because it was so beautiful and I knew I just wanted to have it. For the Ralph’s Café-themed event, Uvraj wore a suit that was tailored by my dad. My parents own a multi-designer retail store in Delhi, but before that my dad used to do bespoke menswear tailoring.</p><p><strong>Uvraj: </strong>All I told him was that I wanted a brown herringbone double-breasted suit, and the man pulled out the best Loro Piana fabrics available and made this outfit.</p><p><strong>Apoorva:</strong> For the sangeet I wore <a href="https://thenodmag.com/tag/manish-malhotra">Manish Malhotra</a>, and for the wedding <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/tarun-tahiliani-indian-fashion-designer-ott-interview">Tarun Tahiliani</a>, as did Uvraj. It was an outfit I had seen on the runway the season before, and I was blown away by the pichwai work. Plus, fuchsia is a colour that I absolutely love. They also let me personalise the veil, so I had them embroider our wedding dates on it. Uvraj hadn’t seen that lehenga before, so he started sobbing when I made my entrance at the wedding. Initially, they said the lehenga would take three months to make, but they ended up sending it in just 40 days.</p><p><strong>Uvraj:</strong> I wore a lot of Rohit Bal too. I’ve worn his clothes for a long time, so I’m a really old client of the brand. For the sangeet it was a black achkan with cowl pants that Akriti at the brand forced me to wear. She’s always getting me to try different things, and she’s usually spot-on. It was a great look that went with the jungle theme. For one of the after-parties, I chose a Rohit Bal look that I had worn for my sister’s wedding.</p><p><strong>Apoorva: </strong>For the after-parties I was just putting things together pretty randomly. For one I wore a Sandro dress with an AK-OK by Anamika Khanna jacket and Alaïa heels. I found this sparkly headpiece on Amazon that I just ordered online two days before the wedding. I bought a lot of my jewellery from my sister-in-law; she has a label called Letoinde and she customised everything according to my personality. It was so nice to have suits made by my dad, and jewellery by my sister-in-law. It just felt like this great team effort.</p>

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Would you have a Wimbledon-themed wedding reception? 

<p>We’re two weeks away from the Paris Olympics and bang in the middle of both Wimbledon and the UEFA Euro 2024; the British Grand Prix was last weekend and, of course, India just won the T20 World Cup after 17 years. There’s no denying that sports are hot right now. While athletic wear brands are getting most from the action, fashion brands aren’t far behind.</p><p>With their perfect physiques, near-mythical abilities, and legions of devoted followers, athletes are as close as it gets to immortals on earth. It’s no wonder, then, that they have long played muse to fashion designers, right from the 1900s. If polo player Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel was Gabrielle <a href="https://thenodmag.com/tag/chanel">Chanel’s</a> lover and muse, French designer Jean Patou found his creative inspiration in tennis player Suzanne Lenglen. Along with contemporary Elsa Schiaparelli, these designers were inspired by athletic bodies to create clothing for women that freed them from the restraints of corsets and long skirts. Sportspeople have dabbled in fashion too—like tennis player René Lacoste and skier Emilio Pucci, who channelled their experience into building a unique, sports-inspired aesthetic.</p>

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<h2>Tennis, anyone?</h2><p>Right now, we’re deep in the middle of an obsession with <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/what-to-wear-for-pickleball-padel-paddle-tennis">#tenniscore</a> thanks to Zendaya’s film <a href="https://thenodmag.com/content/zendaya-christian-louboutin-so-kate-heels"><i>Challengers</i></a> and the Netflix series <i>Breakpoint</i>. Many of the key trends for spring/summer 2024 reflect that influence—the popularity of the colour white and the multiple versions of the polo t-shirt (spotted at Loewe, Givenchy, even Carolina Herrera). <a href="https://www.wgsn.com/en/blogs/ball-fashions-court-rise-tenniscore">WGSN</a> reported that pleated skirts made up 24 per cent of the total skirts featured on the season’s catwalks. But the ultimate marriage of real life and court life fashion was when Ukrainian tennis champ Marta Kostyuk worked with sporting brand Wilson to design her wedding dress earlier this year. The label then made an equally charming mini version for her to wear at the ongoing Wimbledon. The dress is called <a href="https://www.wilson.com/en-us/product/w-the-marta-dress-ww00478431wta#colors=119539">The Marta</a> and is available to buy online.</p><h2>Football fever</h2><p>Hot on the heels of tenniscore, we saw another game creep into our IG feeds—football. <a href="https://karlaotto.com/insights/the-influence-of-sports">A report earlier this year</a> by brand agency Karla Otto and influencer marketing agency Lefty dubbed football “the most powerful sport in the world” in terms of earned social media value. In January 2024, <a href="https://wwd.com/menswear-news/mens-fashion/male-athletes-top-fashion-ambassadors-1236089236/">WWD</a> reported that athletes, particularly football stars, are some of the most lucrative faces for fashion brands with names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi generating $1.8 million in media impact, higher than Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio and even K-Pop stars.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C86rQ3xNzhI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C86rQ3xNzhI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C86rQ3xNzhI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Conner Ives (@connerives)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>The financial impact aside, it’s the sport’s more laid-back, blokeish aesthetic that is appealing to the die-hard fashion girlies. Think Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox, who wore football jerseys with cycling shorts and lace skirts. Rather than original club merch, though, we’re leaning more towards the jerseys sent out by our favourite designers. London-based Connor Ives’ shirred baby tees are made of vintage football jerseys that are taken apart and then stitched together with elastic thread. Louis Vuitton’s recent spring/summer 2025 men’s show featured t-shirts and bomber jackets crafted out of LV soccer balls. Meanwhile Moschino sent out a tailored jacket for men and an A-line skirt for women, both printed with images of footballs on a base coloured like the Italian flag. Just so we know which team they support.</p><h2><img src="https://assets.thenodmag.com/website-assets/Fashion_and_Sports_Cr_Instagram_moschino_d9e2cc6f27.jpg" alt="Fashion &amp; Sports Cr Instagram @moschino|caption|Moschino spring/summer 2025">Racing to the finish</h2><p>But the sport that’s really sped to the top in terms of online influence is Formula 1. Just this week, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QleGOoelG_4">the trailer</a> for the Brad Pitt-helmed sports drama <i>F1</i> dropped, while last month, Tommy Hilfiger continued its association with racing star Lewis Hamilton through a new 10-piece motorsport-inspired collection in collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Hamilton is, of course, the undisputed king of the course in terms of both fashion and wins—the Karla Otto x Lefty report called him, “the most valuable driver in terms of media impact”. Whether he’s in a mirrored Marc Jacobs co-ord set or a custom Burberry look, Hamilton wears his style with the confidence of someone whose taken many a victory lap.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Fashion & Sports Cr Instagram @dior.jpg

Fashion & Sports Cr Instagram @lewishamilton

Fashion & Sports Cr Instagram @lewishamilton.jpg

<h2>Ready, set, couture</h2><p>The recent Couture 2025 shows offered further proof of the enduring appeal of sports in the fashion world. At Dior, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was inspired by ancient Greece, home of the Olympic games. The collection featured embellished body suits, racer-back tank tops, and even gowns made of draped jersey, an unexpected choice for couture. Designer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pIGVRNgoo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">Thom Browne</a> started his show with a game of tug of war, followed by a supremely luxurious take on team uniforms. There were avant-garde, heelless cleats with gold spikes plus jackets and miniskirts edged with the French tricolour, and the silhouettes formed by exaggerated shoulders and nipped-in waists brought to mind vintage sports iconography.</p>

Fashion & Sports1CR - Instagram @Nike copy

Fashion & Sports1CR - Instagram @Nike copy.jpg

Fashion & Sports Cr Instagram @celine (1).jpg

<h2>Team spirit</h2><p>Another way in which fashion and athletics have come together is through collaborations between designers and sportswear brands. The latest arrival is the <a href="https://www.jacquemus.com/fr_fr/nike-collaboration-femme">Jacquemus x Nike</a> collaboration that dropped this week, featuring the signature Nike Swoosh in the form of a neat leather bag. Adidas has continued its tie-up with British designer Grace Wales Bonner with a collection inspired by marathon runners. The list continues: Comme des Garçons x Salomon, Reebok x Anine Bing, Miu Miu x New Balance, and Bode x Nike, all of which released in 2024. Some fashion brands have even set out with their own athletics-focussed collections. Think of Celine’s recently released, ridiculously luxurious Pilates line that includes a sheepskin- and canvas-clad <a href="https://www.celine.com/en-int/celine-maison/home/pilates-reformer-in-wood-and-triomphe-canvas-4M4617WP5.04LI.html?nav=A00119">reformer</a>, and Balenciaga’s take on skiwear, the launch of which was announced via a video game.</p><p>Clearly, when it comes to bringing a bit of that medal-winning style into your own look, there are plenty of options. You might be surfing Netflix instead of the waves, but you can definitely look like you’re part of the team while you do it.</p>

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