A 25-year-long career in tennis littered with trophies is enough to make any player a global brand. Roger Federer, who won Grand Slam titles 20 times in his career, enjoys such an illustrious legacy. The Swiss legend announced his retirement from professional tennis in 2022. Despite stepping away from the limelight on the court, he continues to bag mouth-watering deals with the biggest brands.
Recently, the Swiss Maestro signed a deal with luxury eyewear brand Oliver Peoples, which made him the first-ever male athlete from the tennis scene to become a designer of sunglasses. For the unversed, Oliver Peoples is worth around a whopping $63 million. However, it didn’t take long for another familiar face from the tennis world to follow in Federer’s footsteps.
For all we know, more tennis players in the future are likely to design premium eyewear.
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Roger Federer and Oliver Peoples’ collaboration hits stores in 2024
Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer announced his deal with Oliver Peoples in a GQ interview as he headed to New York for the 2023 Met Gala. During the interview, Federer hinted at some of the design elements that fans can expect from the sunglasses. The sunglasses will hit stores sometime in 2024. “These frames have to be solid around the head, and not fall off with, you know, the first flick of the neck”, he said.
Following Federer’s announcement, Oliver Peoples’ parent company EssilorLuxottica released an official statement as well. It stated that the “shared dedication to excellence in one’s craft and appreciation for understated luxury” serves as the inspiration for the sunglasses.
EssilorLuxottica’s chief executive and chairman Francesco Milleri shared his enthusiasm following the official announcement of the deal with Federer. He said, “Our shared values and his global influence makes him the perfect partner for us and for the Oliver Peoples brand.” But who is the other tennis star who followed Federer’s path?
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Another renowned star joins Federer by making an eyewear brand announcement
Barely a day after Federer’s mammoth announcement, Austrian men’s tennis ace Dominic Thiem also announced the upcoming launch of his very own eyewear brand. Named ‘Thiem View’, the brand is, according to Thiem himself, “a tribute to nature”.
Unlike Federer, Thiem is still an active pro player. Furthermore, his eyewear brand announcement came as he was participating in the Madrid Open. Based on the early updates provided by Thiem, it’s likely that his eyewear brand will be high on sustainability.
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