The Wilson Tennis Classic expands the brand’s lineup of lifestyle tennis shoes.
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Wilson plans to unveil the brand’s 30-plus years of sneaker archives and create an entirely new wave of lifestyle shoes based on tennis history.
It’s already started.
In early 2024, Wilson introduced the improved Pro Staff 87 and just last month debuted the new Wilson Tennis Classic Premium. This is a low-profile shoe design for off-court wear, highlighted by a premium European leather upper. To make the new Tennis Classic stand out, premium leather wasn’t the only material used in its debut release. Wilson provided a special edition tennis ball felt upper for the design.
“Tennis Ball Felt was released to do something unexpected and to encourage energy and conversation to the models,” a Wilson Footwear spokesperson told me about the release. “We wanted to show the equity we are building with Wilson Sporting Goods, not just with our court-style shoes, but as a brand as a whole. We are working on many future partnerships and collaborations. In the future, we will celebrate the moment with limited release products from models brought back from our archives.”
An upper made from tennis ball felt gives the Wilson Tennis Classic a head start.
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More of that archive will soon be opened. Following the Pro Staff 87 and Tennis Classic, Lee Gibson, Wilson’s senior director of shoe design, says that as the brand works toward a full offering of models from the 1980s, 90s, and even some , said he hopes there will be a renewed focus on the extensive collection. From the 2000s. “We are excited to offer multiple options to support our athletes when they are not on the court,” says Gibson. “So we’re hopeful that things will start to happen.”
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Additional releases within the Lifestyle collection align with Wilson’s continued focus on sportswear apparel, which has seen steady growth in recent years. The brand says it believes it has “something authentic to offer to the world of court style” given its 114-year history in tennis.
Tennis Classic is simply the next step in that direction. The Pro Staff 87 is a modern update of the popular on-court model, while the Tennis Classic is an homage to tennis style. Wilson says he wants the silhouette to bridge the gap between performance and style, offering a “sophisticated” model rooted in tennis culture.
Sophisticated style creates a tennis-inspired Wilson Tennis Classic.
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According to the brand, the Tennis Classic focuses on craftsmanship and emphasizes simplicity of detail. The European leather is meant to offer elegance, and the last, stance, and understated branding fit with the brand’s product focus by creating shoes that exceed your needs.
Similar to the Pro Staff 87 update, which launched in three new colorways along with an updated last, sockliner, foam midsole, rubber outsole, and leather upper design, Wilson says the new sportswear model will step back in comfort. I would like to avoid this. The main goal is “to create a very comfortable lifestyle choice,” says Shivam Bhan, Wilson’s senior director of products and merchandising. “(Pro Staff 87) pays homage to its sporting roots while being versatile enough to be worn as everyday wear.”
Adding Tennis Classics to Wilson’s tennis-inspired mix. That combination could soon get bigger as the brand dips further into the Wilson Footwear vault of lifestyle sneakers.
