Rothy’s And Evian Team Up On A Limited-Edition Tennis-Inspired Capsule Collection

Whether you’re rooting for Serena Williams to break a record or all about team Rafa, there’s sure to be one winner at this year’s US Open: Evian water bottles. Last year they were collected during New York’s largest tennis tournament and turned into a limited-edition, tennis-inspired capsule collection for which Evian teamed up with Rothy’s. “Each September, nearly ten tons of plastic is generated at New York’s largest annual tennis tournament, where Evian is the official water sponsor, and diverted away from landfills via recycling,” says Leeni Hämäläinen, Marketing Director at Evian North America. “Right before the 2021 tournament, we teamed up with Rothy’s and committed to working together to find a circular solution for a portion of diverted waste, equating to approximately 72,000 Evian bottles.”

Rooted in a shared mission, the collection is debuting today, exclusively at Rothys.com and Rothy’s New York City stores. “Made using Rothy’s signature 3D knitting process, our two brands gave bottles collected from the tennis tournament a chic second life as part of a first-of-its-kind collection, featuring court-side essentials inspired by tennis,” says Sun Lee, VP of Design at Rothy’s.

The collected Evian bottles from the US Open were blended with other recycled plastic bottles and then turned into Rothy’s signature soft, washable thread, which was used to create the collection with minimal waste. The capsule features seven total items, spanning footwear, tennis gear and accessories. The Duffel Bag ($495), The Racket Bag ($325) and The Sling ($195) are made to be used on and off the court. This collection also marks Rothy’s entry into headwear, with The Cap ($95) and The Visor ($75). Of course, there’s footwear too, as they customized The RS01 Sneaker ($175) and The Slip On Sneaker ($125) with the special Evian thread and colors, including a cap-inspired outsole.

“The bottles were the inspiration for the collection and the spirit of tennis was where we felt like we could celebrate the collaboration best given where we sourced the bottles from,” Lee says. “As we designed, we drew inspiration from heritage tennis style: you can see nods to vintage tennis fashion in the tennis stripes and the textures (mesh, terry cloth) featured throughout. We were also inspired by a desire to marry our two brands—the color palette was pulled from Evian bottles, while our signature knit structure and eye for design brought those colors to life in new and unexpected ways.”

Since there’s a finite number of bottles, the collection is highly limited, so it’s anticipated to sell out quickly. This isn’t Evian’s first time dipping a toe into the fashion world. “Historically Evian has found other revolutionary and sustainable ways to help limit packaging waste and promote recycling within fashion and retail categories, such as working with fashion designer Iris Van Herpen to design a gown with recycled plastic Evian water bottles debuted at 2021 Fashion Awards, and limited-edition reusable glass water bottles in collaboration with the late Virgil Abloh,” Hämäläinen says. “But this is the first time Evian has created a wearable capsule collection like this for retail.”

As a Certified B Corporation and carbon neutral brand, Evian is constantly looking to find revolutionary and sustainable ways to help limit packaging waste and promote recycling. They aim to become a circular brand by 2025, which is why Rothy’s was the perfect partner. “By designing with recycled materials, circularity is an inherent benefit baked into Rothy’s business model,” Lee says. “Rothy’s builds every product in its wholly-owned workshop, using world-class knitting technology to create footwear and accessories—with nearly no waste. Furthering its mission, in March 2021, Rothy’s announced its pledge to reach circular production by 2023, pioneering the shoe recycling technology to incorporate twice-recycled materials into new products. Investing in nature-based carbon reductions for every mile of shipping, Rothy’s will also reach carbon neutrality by 2023.”

As always, this year you’ll be able to find recycling bins on site at the US Open, so Evian is encouraging attendees to recycle their bottles to help them become bottles again and again. “This is the first time consumers can see a tangible example of the outcome of recycling; for anyone that attended last year’s US Open, there’s a good chance that a bottle recycled at that event is now part of this limited-edition capsule,” Lee says. “We hope this serves as a reminder that a circular future is possible, and design can help us achieve that. The collection itself is sportier than our typical offerings but just as understated and elevated as our other products, with the same comfort, attention to detail, washability and durability we’re known for.”