Traditional innovation: The history and evolution of fashion at Wimbledon

LONDON -- Wimbledon, renowned for being as steeped in tradition as it is drenched in history, may not seem like it changes much from year to year.

The trophies, the royalty, the strawberries and cream, the queuing, the grass courts and the all-white dress code, it can be very easy to ignore the long and slow evolution as well as the small changes that are made from year to year at the world’s oldest -- and arguably most famous-- tennis tournament.

Just don’t tell that to Malin Lundin, the senior curator at Wimbledon’s Lawn Tennis Museum, who helps to oversee over 1 million items kept right on site in southwest London and is responsible for the annual exhibition rotation at Wimbledon.

“The museum opened in 1977 and it tells the story of the championships and tournaments from the early days of the game in the 1870s right up to the present day,” Lundin told ABC News in an interview just days before the first matches began at the 2024 Championships. “And as you can see the museum has interactive galleries including tennis fashion, equipment, decorative arts, ephemera, photography, that all tells the story of how lawn tennis has evolved from being a pure pastime in Victorian Britain to becoming the global sport that it is today that's watched and played by millions across the world.”

This year’s exhibition, which opened at the end of 2023 and will go until the end of this year, is called "Express Yourself: Sport, Street, Style" and encapsulates the evolution of fashion at Wimbledon by examining how clothes have been designed, marketed, worn and repurposed over the years while also serving as a form of self-expression for the players.

Fashion has clearly come a long way since lawn tennis was first invented in the 1870s when there were no established norms for what players should wear.

“Women resorted to wearing the clothing that they would wear when they went to something like a garden party, so they would wear long dresses with big, ornamented sleeves, a high neck, a tightly fitted waist,” Lundin explained. “Underneath they would have a corset and layers of petticoats, and it could weigh up to 4.9 kilos (just under 11 pounds). A woman's outfit obviously impacted the way that they could move around the court.”

The tradition of wearing white at Wimbledon also began during this era in 1890, primarily because white garments were seen as a way to avoid showing perspiration, a crucial consideration in the social dynamics of the time where women were expected to appear composed and unruffled.

But, as the 20th century dawned, tennis fashion began to slowly evolve, thanks to trailblazers like Mae Sutton, who chose to wear her father’s shirt instead of a traditional blouse and, perhaps more shockingly at the time, would even roll up the sleeves to her elbows, exposing her forearms while she played.

“The biggest change you see after came after the First World War when you had massive changes in society, particularly around how women were perceived,” said Lundin. “It was French player Suzanne Lenglen who played a pivotal role in this transformation.”

Lenglen, in 1919, appeared at Wimbledon in a light, loose cotton dress without a corset, allowing her previously unprecedented freedom of movement as she glided across the grass courts. Lenglen's flamboyant style, charismatic personality and trendsetting clothing instantly made her a superstar on and off the courts and, consequently, significantly influenced tennis fashion and streetwear.

It was two men however, René Lacoste and Fred Perry, who ended up leading the branding revolution which began in the 1930s -- the next phase of Wimbledon’s fashion evolution.

René Lacoste, a prominent French tennis player of the 1920s, transitioned into fashion by introducing the now-iconic polo shirt featuring the crocodile logo, which remains synonymous with the Lacoste brand today. Similarly, Fred Perry, another tennis legend of the time, left a lasting legacy with his brand's laurel wreath logo, inspired by the Wimbledon medal he won in 1936.

“Perry would put free samples of his tennis wear in the gentlemen's dressing room here at Wimbledon and players would wear them, and did wear them, on Centre Court,” Lundin told ABC News. “Obviously, this was priceless publicity for the brand and in the 1950s and the 1960s, a lot of players would wear Fred Perry and the very recognizable laurel wreath on their clothing when playing at The Championships.”

But with rules often comes rebellion and even though Wimbledon’s all-white clothing rule had been in effect since 1890, it only became formalized in 1963, when tennis player Maria Bueno wore a dress designed by Ted Tinling featuring Italian pink lining.

Since then, the all-white rule has been amended three times, once in 1995 to limit the amount of color that was allowed to be worn on court, once in 2014 to allow for accessories to be worn, and the last amendment was made just two year ago in 2022 which allowed women to wear mid-to-dark colored underwear under their clothing to alleviate any anxieties around playing during their menstrual cycle.

“I think Wimbledon does listen to players. There is an evolution that is constantly ongoing. So Wimbledon will listen to players and their opinions about what is working and what needs changing,” said Lundin.

Fast forward to modern day and Wimbledon has managed to walk the line of modernity and progress with tradition and heritage in ways other tournaments have not as modern tennis fashion continues to push boundaries within the constraints of tradition at the tournament.

“The dress that Serena Williams wore at the championships in 2019 has the Nike swoosh decorated with 34 Swarovski crystals, which is the age that she last won the championships in 2016,” said Lundin before showing ABC News Venus Williams’ Reebok sneakers which Lundin says she painstakingly hand embellished herself.

“Players do find a way to express who they are even if it is through the white clothing at Wimbledon,” said Lundin. “They find ways of being able to convey a personal message as well through fashion.”

Lundin doesn’t see the dynamic between tennis and fashion slowing down anytime soon either as she pointed to four different shoes worn by Coco Gauff at the four Grand Slams in 2023 -- the same shoe but each with a signature color palette and pattern representative of what is allowed at each tournament but also her own personal style.

“A player can work with a brand now to put their personal touch on things,” said Lundin. “And, as you can see, these shoes are very much about her and who she is.”

Ultimately, the story of tennis fashion at Wimbledon is not just about clothing to Lundin, it's about how players express their personalities and create lasting legacies at a tournament known for its traditions while simultaneously being unafraid to change with the times and demands of the players.

“I think people will always push the boundaries and always try new things. But I think players are very respectful to Wimbledon as well. It's special to come to Wimbledon and to be a part of its heritage and traditions,” said Lundin. “Even if they wouldn't necessarily want to wear white when they play all year round, they wear white at Wimbledon because they know that is Wimbledon.”