Reporter | Jia Linwei
Since its birth in the 19th century, tennis has quickly entered the daily life of the public and become the second largest ball game in the world. In 1877, after the Wimbledon Championships (Wimbledon Championships), the oldest tennis tournament in the world, was established in the United Kingdom, it became one of the most watched sports events in the world, referred to as "Wimbledon".
The Wimbledon Tennis Championships has established many traditions in the tennis world that continue to this day, such as calling female players "Miss" or "Mrs." and calling male players by their last names; male spectators are not allowed to wear shorts when watching the game, and female spectators are not allowed to Wear a hat; it’s best to eat strawberries with cream, etc. during the game.
Among them, the most impressive tradition is that players must wear white clothing, and even visible underwear must be white. And this white is a specific color number, even beige that is close to white will not work. In addition, the championship also has detailed rules for accessories such as hats, collars, cuffs, wristbands, shoes, soles and headbands. For example, the ribbon cannot be wider than one centimeter, and the logo on the clothing cannot be printed, etc.
In 2014, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships added a new rule with ten regulations, once again strengthening the "all white" dress code guidelines.
Because the rules are too strict, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was once forced to withdraw from the game because he did not comply with the shoe rules. He expressed his condemnation of this and believed that this was outdated thinking.
Indeed, compared with the tennis open in the United States, France and other regions, the requirements of Wimbledon in the UK are too strict. The U.S. Open once followed an all-white dress code, but in 1972 it began to allow players to wear colored clothing. France also allows players to dress freely. The Australian Tennis Open is a little more strict in comparison. Players must wear tennis-specific clothing, but there are not too strict requirements in terms of color.
The white dress code at Wimbledon in the UK can be traced back to the 19th century, when tennis was one of people's social activities. Valerie Warren, author of "Tennis Fashion: Over 125 Years of Clothing Change," explains in the book that athletes wear white to avoid sweat spots on colored clothing.
“One issue that must be addressed early on is sweating,” she writes. “As game skills improve, so does the amount of activity on the court, which in turn can lead to the dreaded sweating problem, which in turn can lead to increased levels of sweating. Embarrassing sweat spots on colored fabrics.”
Warren believes that this rule is specifically targeted at female players because “it is completely unthinkable to see women sweating.”
Another explanation is to continue the British tradition of wearing white to show respect for the British royal family. The white dress is also in line with the characteristics of the British Wimbledon venue. Different from the overwhelming advertising of French Open US Open, except for a few major sponsors, the main venue of Wimbledon is always spotless, and its appearance is almost the same as it was more than a hundred years ago. Wimbledon is exactly the same.
This reflects the thinking of many British people, that is, pure white symbolizes that tennis does not need any decoration, does not need to be promoted by too many commercial elements, and therefore does not need too many billboards.
At present, it seems that Wimbledon in the UK is still adhering to its own traditions in the critical eyes of avant-garde young people.
Interestingly, luxury brands that are increasingly fond of sportswear are also beginning to get design inspiration from tennis wear.
For example, the British luxury brand Burberry released a tennis series of items in a new B Series series in June this year. In fact, Burberry, which has the same birthplace and cultural background as Wimbledon, has sponsored clothing for tennis players and spectators since 1895, and has launched many tennis series.
Just as time goes by, Burberry now incorporates more modern elements into the design of tennis wear. This B Series includes Burberry printed sneakers and exclusive logo socks, which are pure white with fluorescent letter printing.
