Colourful and looks good on social media: Why everyone's rallying for pickleball fashion

Mint

2 days ago

Early in July, to promote the latest season of their show, the cast of Prime Video India series Panchayat chose to swap the rustic settings of their village, Phulera, for a colourful pickleball court. Sticking to the theme, the actors too turned up in pickleball core: Neena Gupta in a matching white shirt and pleated skirt layered with a green sleeveless sweater vest; Jeetendra Kumar in a white shirt, cardigan and track pants; and Sanvikaa, in a blue mini dress. It was proof enough that pickleball fashion is a 'thing" now.
A racquet sport that was created in 1965 by three dads, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in Bainbridge Island, Washington, pickleball, that can be described as a tennis-badminton-table tennis hybrid is currently a rage around the world including India. Abhinav Shankar, co-founder of Go Rally, a Bengaluru-based premier pickleball arena chain, attributes the popularity of the sport to its accessibility and social nature. 'Whether it is in terms of ease of learning or courts available to play, pickleball is extremely accessible. This easiness also makes it a social sport that families or groups of friends can play while barely knowing the rules," explains Shankar.
It is this social aspect that also makes the sport a perfect canvas for fashion. Not that tennis has never inspired fashion… far from. We had 'tennis core' trending for most of last year courtesy the movie, Challengers. But to compare tennis and pickleball fashion would be to pitch tennis as the prim and preppy older sister who plays by rules, while pickleball is the younger sibling who loves experimenting with her fashion – the more colourful the better. And if tenniscore is about clothes and accessories that lean towards a pronounced white to off-white palette, pickleball fashion—and to an extent padelball, a slightly newer entrant—is about drenching the court in bright neons, emerald greens, pinks and blues with some quirky prints. Shankar adds, 'Because it's a social sport, people want to look good on the court. It also makes for good social media content."
As a former tennis pro who switched to professional pickleball in October, Sharmada Balu, 31, explains that there's a shade of difference when it comes to choosing appropriate gear for tennis and pickleball. 'Tennis is a complex sport that involves a lot more movement, so you need to wear comfortable sporting attire like shorts or tights. Pickleball doesn't entail as much movement and so you can get away by playing it even in yoga pants." As for what she prefers wearing while playing, Balu says, 'I like to train in shorts or tights but when it comes to tournaments, I like to wear skirts and dresses."
It is the stylistic liberty of pickleball that has attracted fashion designers and labels to create capsules dedicated to the sport. In the US, where it's touted to be the fastest growing sport, brands such as Lululemon, Fila, Alo Yoga and Skechers now make apparel and shoes exclusively for pickleball. Veteran designer Norma Kamali, too, has created an entire collection of dresses and gowns in fabrics such as lace, lycra and vegan leather. In India, a couple of indie fashion brands like Mumbai-based Terra Luna have toyed with the idea. 'Pickleball as a sport is extremely contemporary and gives you space to present your interpretation of fashion," says Terra Luna's founder Stuti Dhanuka. The brand's latest pickleball collection includes T-shirts, shirts, shorts, tank tops and playsuits in khadi and linen.
The scope of pickleball and padelball's growth in India was a compelling enough reason for Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, alumna and friends Pranav Bimbhat, 29, and Aditya Agarwal, 28, to start FirstEdge, a Mumbai-based brand dedicated to making pickleball and padelball gear such as rackets, balls, erasers and grips. Launched eight months ago, their rackets are priced between ₹3,799-9,499 with thought being put into the colour combinations as both pickleball and padelball have strong visual appeal.
Shankar, Bimbhat and Agarwal seem optimistic about the growth of the game. 'The number of players in India is estimated to go up to 1 million by 2028," Agarwal says. Dhanuka, however, feels that pickleball fashion is probably going to enjoy the spotlight for a another year or two. 'The demand for fashion will grow this year, and then soon, something else will catch our attention." And that's how the fashion ball rolls.