What’s with Wimbledon’s white rule—and how do brands approach design?
Wimbledon went “predominately in white” with its dress code in 1963, and while players and brands have attempted to skirt the dress code rules—akin to a high schooler defying the principal—Wimbledon has only entrenched itself in the rule. It created a stricter version in 1995, says on-site Wimbledon historian Robert McNicol, when the Wimbledon powers “changed to ‘almost entirely in white’ to make it even stricter.
Roger Federer's Nike shoes with a prominent orange sole at the 2013 The Championships, Wimbledon weren't allowed past the first day of the tournament and prompted additional rule tightening. The rules include the definition that white “does not include off-white or cream” and note that the back of the apparel must be “completely white.
With the loopholes closed—everything from color on the sole of a Nike shoe worn by Roger Federer in 2013 to colored underwear of past years has been eliminated as a possibility—brands have limited freedom. “Our Fila designers continuously challenge themselves to come up with new and unique ways to differentiate our on-court looks, whether it be strategic use of color pops, tonal prints or through fabrics and overlays to marry performance and style,” Mallon says.
Kobiro says white performs well at retail regardless of the season but becomes a top choice in the warmer summer months. “It would be interesting if the color accent was extended beyond the allowed one centimeter,” Kobiro says. “I understand the tradition and feel it’s important to keep it in the sport and it also creates a unique challenge for design teams. However, if a little more playful usage of the color were allowed, the product range could be pretty exciting.
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