New brands with fantastic founders excite me. Even more so when a Berlin native launches a new fashion label and aims to carve out a very specific niche in the cutthroat world of tennis apparel. Today we're introducing you to Andrea Tübbicke-Schmidt founded fashion label 30 Love a year ago feel-good tennis wear for female tennis players over 30. We'll tell you why the market needs this and what drives the founder.
It's not just since the tennis clothing controversy surrounding Serena Williams' "catsuit" at the Australian Open that many female tennis players have been wondering where to find the right tennis outfit. For many players, especially those of a certain age, tennis clothes from mainstream manufacturers are no longer ideal or suitable. Whether it's the cut or the color and fabric combinations, the clothing is often too short, too tight, or too many colors – the frustration of shopping can sometimes ruin the experience for many TennisTraveller.
It's all the more refreshing, then, when a young entrepreneur launches a new clothing brand, aiming to make the "over thirties" shine with stylish, well-fitting tennis apparel. "Feel Good over Thirties" is the motto. That's why today we're introducing you to Andrea Tübbicke-Schmidt and her fashion label 30 Love – as always, with some thought-provoking questions.
I am 36 years old and live in Berlin with my husband Peter and my little daughter Annabelle. And I am the founder of "30 Love".
I've personally experienced how difficult it is to find attractive tennis clothing that makes me feel "dressed" and comfortable. When I asked around among my friends and acquaintances, I received similar feedback. And that's when I thought: I can make a positive difference for women's tennis, and so I launched "30 Love".
What bothers me is that the skirts are so outrageously short. I would never dream of wearing skirts like that to the office, in everyday life, or even during other sports.
And I often felt constricted in the tops, thinking I should suck in my stomach. I always felt like I had to constantly adjust my clothes to make them fit. And when I served, I was afraid I'd suddenly be completely exposed.
When I'm on the tennis court, I want to have fun and really push myself. Unfortunately, that's impossible when these negative thoughts are constantly swirling around in my head. And since I'm still ambitious, I want to play my best tennis. But even that doesn't work when thoughts about my appearance rob me of my concentration.
Andrea, founder of 30 Love
Imagine being able to simply be yourself on the court. You don't have to worry about showing more skin than you want. Nothing pinches or chafes. You finally feel free. How wonderful would it be to look effortlessly good in your tennis outfit? To have negative thoughts about your body disappear? Think about how great it would be if you were much more confident and others sensed it too – both on and off the court? And you played better as a bonus? That's exactly what female tennis players should expect! Or, as the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent put it: “Good clothing is a passport to happiness.”
Yes, I'm convinced of it. There's research to back it up. Studies show that our clothing not only has a major impact on our mood, but also on our performance. Social psychologist Barbara Fredrickson from the University of North Carolina conducted an experiment on this: she had men and women take a math test. Half of the participants were instructed to wear a swimsuit or swim trunks, while the other half wore a sweatshirt.
The result: Women who wore a swimsuit during a math test performed significantly worse than those who wore a sweatshirt. The researchers were thus able to demonstrate that when their bodies are on display, women worry too much about what others think of them and are unable to concentrate as effectively on the task at hand. Consequently, their performance suffers. For men, however, clothing had no effect on their performance.
In another study, psychologists at the University of Toronto found that women in loose-fitting sportswear achieved significantly better results in tests, including those assessing hand-eye coordination, than women in tight-fitting clothing. The explanation was the same. Therefore, "dress for success" also applies on the tennis court.
30 Love clothing is designed to drape beautifully, flatteringly, and loosely, rather than clinging to the body. Our skirts, dresses, and shorts are the perfect length—not too short, but not so long that they look dated—just right. You also get support in all the right places, for example, from the wide, high waistband or the built-in shorts. In short: you can be confident that you'll look great on the court in 30 Love. You don't have to worry about anything else. Your focus can therefore be entirely where it belongs: on the next ball.
My favorite piece from the current collection is the "Gabriela" dress. It drapes beautifully and is incredibly flattering. I think it looks unbeatable paired with the "Anke" shorts.
I design everything myself, and my pattern maker, Ines, helps me translate my ideas and sketches into sample pieces and patterns. I had very specific requirements for the fabric. It had to be very stretchy and feel like a second skin. Finding something like that wasn't easy at all. I visited several fabric fairs and scoured all the offerings. I finally found my dream fabric at an Italian supplier, and the entire collection was then produced from it in a textile factory in the Ore Mountains. I print the logos and care labels on the clothing myself. I also handle the packaging and shipping myself. Production in Germany is very important to me—in this respect, too, I consciously want to do things differently than the big brands.
The lowest point was definitely the first lockdown in March 2020. Right when my fabric was supposed to be produced, all of Italy went into lockdown. I didn't know if the company would survive financially and if I would ever receive the fabric I had already paid for. In the end, everything worked out. I couldn't release the collection in the spring as planned, but only in the fall, but at least it happened.
It has been and continues to be a wonderful experience to receive so much support. More often than ever before, I've mustered the courage to actively ask people for help. And as a result, I receive overwhelmingly positive feedback and genuine assistance. I am incredibly grateful for that.
That was simply indescribable. But it was even better when our women's 30 team tried on the finished collection for the first time. The girls, who then even volunteered as models for the photoshoot, were thrilled and looked absolutely fantastic. That was the best feeling ever.
30 Love is meant to remain a small, refined, and independent brand. I want to gradually introduce new colors and new pieces that harmonize perfectly with the existing collection. My goal is for my customers to enjoy their 30 Love pieces for a long time and be able to combine them in countless ways – like a well-chosen business outfit. I'm delighted that word is spreading that feeling good and looking good on the tennis court are no longer mutually exclusive, and that 30 Love is becoming the favorite brand of female tennis players.
As a teenager, I played a lot and even celebrated a few successes, such as winning the Berlin and East German championships. When I started my career, tennis took a backseat, and I took a longer break. Two years ago, I picked up a racket again for the first time. After a disastrous winter, I'm really looking forward to the summer season and am trying to get myself in shape for it.
I'm a huge Miami Beach fan. My first visit was when I was 16 years old, and we were able to do our preseason training in Florida with the first women's and men's teams of our tennis club. Since then, I've been drawn back to Miami Beach again and again.
I'm particularly interested in your experiences with tennis clothing. Do you find it easy to find nice clothes? What could be improved? What features would you like in your clothing? I'd love it if you www.30love.de and gave me your feedback.
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