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Sergio Tacchini was a phenom who became a professional tennis player at the age of 17. In 1960 he won the Italian Championship and later competed in the David cup. He would go on to win another two Italian titles, this time in doubles tennis with his partner, Nicola Pietrangeli.

But Sergio Tacchini was much more than a young tennis champion. In 1966, before he retired, he founded Sandys S.p.A, which was renamed for him a few years later. The goal of the young company was to change tennis wear for good. They wanted to not only create a more stylish line of clothes, but to also experiment with colours.

Before this time, tennis was a game that was whiter than white, in terms of clothes. But Tacchini and his associates believed that the game could do with a bit of colour. In time, this simple idea would be expanded upon with regard to other sports such as golf, sailing, fitness and skiing.

But it was through tennis that the brand truly made its name, especially during the seventies and eighties when they introduced new colours and styles to the formally plain game. Sergio Tacchini also did a great job recruiting some of the top players in the sport to act as spokespeople, such as: Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Gabriela Sabatini, Adriana Panatta and Vitas Gerulaitis.

Just as Bjorn Borg has done with Fila vintage products, tennis stars like Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase popularised Tacchini’s distinctive and sometimes disruptive styles on the traditional courts of Wimbledon. Altogether, the celebrity tennis stars who wore Tacchini brand apparel would go one to win dozens of major Grand slams over a period of forty years.

After their success in tennis, Sergio Tacchini would go on to expand its product line into new markets and sports like skiing, golf, basketball, sailing and even Formula 1 Racing. A few years later, the company would expand further with the introduction of footwear and other clothing accessories. They would even create a line of beachwear and later leisurewear.

In the 1990’s, the company would once again come up with a creative new concept that mixed casual sportswear with style. In this case, Tacchini was actively trying to appeal to the average consumer who coveted the attire of their favourite sports celebrities, but didn’t want to pay through the nose for it. As they had in the past, the company enlisted the help of some of the world’s top athletes to promote their new line.

In 1991, the company opened its first showcase stores throughout Europe. Though Sergio Tacchini has been an undeniable success story, they are still working hard to create a global brand name. While it is true that the brand is big in Europe, most US and North American consumers have no idea who they are. That is why the current business strategy is firmly fixed on establishing new stores all over the world and producing clothing lines with a familiar or retro feel.