ellesse
Capturing the original style of a heritage sports brand.
SERVICES:-
Photography, Videography, Production, Social Media
SECTORS:Sports
Understanding the Brief
A tennis ball and ski tips elegantly engineered into the logo. A brand name expressively spelling out an Italian founder’s initials. ellesse was created to be the epitome of industry-leading garment technology with elevated Italian style.
Now, 67 years after the company started, we helped the brand launch Pro Tennis ’26: a collection worn by court stars, and for the first time, available to everyday fans, amateur players and lovers of looking good. Featuring professionals who look and perform their best in ellesse, we shot an on-court campaign for the brand’s most refined expression of sport and style to date.
Uncovering the Unfound
Court whites, cut the Italian way. Pro Tennis ’26 personifies the dream of original founder, Leonardo Servadio, to bring fashion to sportswear through tailoring. On tennis’ finest global stage, Wimbledon, we shot the collection to capture contrast with the heightened green of the iconic SW19 grass.
Equipped with ellesse’s new brand book ‘La Dolce Vita’ and garments, our team studied the evolved look and feel. Way before any lens was applied, we made language pairings and materiality moodboards. To get the right shots, we caught up with Pro Athletes on court as they sported the new kit refined for rallies, rhythm and the joy of the game. Thanks to models Sam Verbeek (mixed doubles Wimbledon winner) and Freya Christie (23 time Women’s World Tennis Tour doubles winner).
Under the Surface
This production forms part of an ongoing series with ellesse, capturing their athletes across the tennis tournament calendar. Understanding textures, surfaces and lighting on multiple court types, with different athlete personalities, to deliver a consistent look and feel.
Our team travelled to meet Pro Athletes Donna Vekic (2026 Queen’s Club Championships winner) and Alejandro Tabilo (Chile’s No. 1 singles player) who were training in Madrid, to document the sounds and shots of Pro Tennis ‘26 for the clay season. Oh, and we’re still captivated by the hand-swept line markings on court; a nuanced ritual of the game that compelled us to film.
Unfound Studio Samples
