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Why Padel Is Luxury’s New Favourite Sport

Brands from Valentino to Prada and start-ups like Pulco Studios are vying to cash in on the racket sport’s aspirational aesthetic and affluent fanbase.
Dwyane Wade plays padel
Former NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade plays a game of padel at Reserve in Miami. The sport is riding a sudden wave of mainstream popularity in the US, with luxury brands piling in to access its wealthy fanbase. (Omar Vega)
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BoF PROFESSIONAL

A decade ago, Wayne Boich played his first-ever game of padel while on a trip to Europe. Like a combination of tennis and squash, the fast-paced sport has been popular for decades and is played professionally in Mexico, Scandinavia and Southern Europe, yet had failed to gain widespread recognition.

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Further Reading

Case Study | Fashion’s New Rules For Sports Marketing

Capitalising on sport’s soaring commercial and cultural relevance is becoming a primary focus for fashion brands. Winning sports-marketing strategies today hinge on building long-term, collaborative partnerships with athletes and organisations that resonate with a brand’s target consumers, as experts in BoF’s latest case study explain.

About the author
Daniel-Yaw Miller

Daniel-Yaw Miller is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. Miller is a New York based journalist, editor and advisor who specialises in sports, fashion and business.

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