Athletes Became the Biggest Players in Luxury Fashion

Last September, the tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, then ranked No. 10 in the world, walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium for his U.S. Open quarterfinal against fellow Italian Jannik Sinner wearing something unusual for both a professional tennis match and a 77-degree day: a black Bottega Veneta leather jacket with a collar crosshatched in the brand’s signature intrecciato pattern. The garment was, of course, designed for someone going to a gallery opening or a fashion show, not a tennis stadium. That’s precisely why it generated so much attention online. “He may have lost the match, but he 100 percent won the fit,” said a tennis influencer on TikTok. “I am absolutely speechless.”