If you love tennis or not, you will certainly notice Nike’s newest men’s collection soon. At the Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the year, the men’s matches are very pink. World n°1, Rafael Nadal, beat his first opponent quite easily, but the Spanish player didn’t make the headlines for that. The world saw him entering the court in a sleeveless pink tank top and tight shorts. Later that day, it was the Bulgarian hunk Grigor Dimitrov who also played in the newest pink Nike outfit. And after homeplayer Nick Kyrgios also stood out in the pink outfit, it became a buzz.
We wanted something that vibrates when you see it on screen.
The social media are full of it. “Is it pink or salmon? Is it a men’s color? Is the combination with the blue courts too violent?” Nike says that it’s exactly the point. It was what the brand was looking for. “The challenge of designing for a quick impression is creating a simple, but instantly recognizable and bold design,” shares Sam Shipley, Apparel Design Director for NikeCourt. “We utilized dynamic geometric shape and flooded color to grab the viewer’s attention.”
With that in mind, Shipley chose pink for Melbourne. “We worked closely with the color team on finding the best shades for the most impactful read off the incredible blue courts. We wanted something that vibrates when you see it on screen,” says Shipley.
But it is not the first time the tennis courts are invaded by pink. In the early 90’s, we remember seeing Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg play ball in pink or other fuchsia tones.
It is a great way to state that colors aren’t gender specific.
We at GUSMEN are fan of Nike’s choice. Especially that the women’s collection is also pink, but in a more muted pastel, is a great way to state that colors aren’t gender specific. We can’t wait to see how the other brands will react. The countdown to Roland Garros has started!
