I have to admit I don’t follow tennis, though I did cover the rise of the tenniscore trend over a year ago. However I do follow the brand Ambush, and their collaboration with Nike – worn by Naomi Osaka at the US Open – flooded my Instagram feed today. And wow! It is the perfect blend of tenniscore, Lolita (or coquette, if you prefer, as I discussed at the end of 2023) and Brat green (which I broke down in detail here).
If you need a quick refresher: tenniscore is a style inspired by tennis clothing – think pleated skirts, polo shirts and visors. The coquette trend, meanwhile, is hyper-feminine, with details such as frills, bows and lace, drawing from the Japanese Lolita street style, which itself channels Victorian fashion with petticoats and parasols. Finally, Brat green is a bold shade of green as used by Charli XCX on the cover of her ‘Brat’ album – the brat trend itself arose to mean a rebellious and confident attitude, while green was one of the key colours on Spring 2024 runways. Naomi Osaka’s US Open ensemble seamlessly blends these trends, brought to life by the collaboration between sportswear brand Nike and Japanese label Ambush, founded by Yoon Ahn, a female designer from Tokyo.
TOPSHOT – Japan’s Naomi Osaka warms up before her women’s singles first round match against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Ambush’s Instagram, the outfit was inspired by Japanese Gothic Lolita and was custom-designed by Yoon Ahn at the request of Naomi Osaka, who shares a Japanese heritage – Osaka was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother but has lived and trained in the United States since the age of three.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka practices before her women’s singles first round match against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenkoc on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
The outfit featured plenty of Gothic Lolita hallmarks – ruffles on the skirt, bows on the back of the shoes, track top and skirt, and a petticoat for volume.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka practices before Jelena Ostapenko on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Following the warm up, Osaka removed the track top to reveal a (Brat green) sports bra that matched her ruffled skirt. Not forgetting any details of course, the sports bra had delicate ruffles down the side seams.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka celebrates defeating Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in their women’s singles first round match on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
And finally let’s not forget the headphones, based on the decorative hairbands commonly worn as a Gothic Lolita accessory.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Naomi Osaka of Japan walks on court before playing against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)