RBS Takes Heat For Wimbledon Corporate Hospitality Spending

RBS Due To Spend Up To $493,300 On Corporate Hospitality At Wimbledon This Year

FASHION REPORT: The FINANCIAL TIMES' Simon Brooke noted ATP World Tour player Andy Murray at Wimbledon will wear a "retro outfit" from Fred Perry, whose trademark cotton polo shirts "remain as popular as ever." Adrian Edwards, the Head of Men's Wear Buying for U.K. retail chain John Lewis, said, "We've seen sales up 30[%] on last year." Brooke noted the Fred Perry shirt's "cultural impact has been enormous," and the company has a "dual marketing strategy -- mainstream stores sell its classic brand while niche retailers ... stock its Blank Canvas diffusion range and its collaborations" with other designers. Fred Perry Marketing Dir Richard Martin said that the company next year will launch a "range developed with urban label Stussy that will 'have a late 1970s West Coast skater/punk theme'" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 6/20).

Nike Makes Sure Federer Arrives In Style At Wimbledon

KEEPING UP WITH HIS TRADITION: The N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE's Cynthia Gorney in a cover story notes ATP World Tour player Rafael Nadal, who will not defend his '08 Wimbledon title due to a knee injury, earlier in his career "began appearing at international matches in what became his trademark outfit: sleeveless shirt, wide headband knotted around the unruly hair and his celebrated piratas, rakish knee-length shorts that made him look like a surfer who lifted weights in his spare time." And when Nike "altered the ensemble early this year, in what everybody involved insists was a mutual decision by the company and Nadal's entourage, there was a brief but spirited insurrection among the fans." A Nadal fan site called the Vamos Brigade "set up a special discussion devoted to Nadal's new short-sleeved shirts and more conventional shorts; the title was Official Mourning Thread" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 6/21 issue).

SOLE POWER: adidas has teamed with the All England Club to launch the adidas CC Feather IV Grass, a new grass court shoe outsole developed specifically for the '12 London Olympics, for which Wimbledon will host the tennis events. Int'l Tennis HOFer Steffi Graf and former ATPer Andre Agassi wore the shoe at the recent unveiling of the retractable roof at Centre Court, and players expected to wear the shoe during this year's Wimbledon tournament include Dinara Safina, Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (adidas).

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