LONDON — The Aman Resorts’ lifestyle product line Aman Essentials is growing its categories with the introduction of Aman Tennis Club, an on- and off-court tennis line that includes women’s and men’s apparel and accessories.
The decision to venture into tennis was natural according to Aman Essentials chief executive officer Kristina Romanova.
“The concept was born from the guests inside [the Aman] because many of our visitors naturally gravitate towards tennis as part of their wellness routine and a way to connect with others,” she said in an interview from Amanruya in Bodrum, Turkey, where the line was unveiled.
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From a commercial standpoint, racket sports have been on the rise.
According to a Global Padel report from Playtomic, a total of 12,651 padel clubs opened in 2023, which is an average of 51 club openings every week.
At Wimbledon, where the Wimbledon Championships takes place, the All England Lawn Tennis Club is planning to build 39 new grass tennis courts and a stadium court that could seat 8,000.
The Aman Tennis Club collection ranges from knitted tennis dresses, half-zip sweatshirts, T-shirts and shorts in white, clay, dark green and blue, which reflect the clay at Roland-Garros or the grass at the Wimbledon Championships.
Romanova was adamant that the pieces be made in Italy and Portugal.
“Italy stands as a sign of luxury and craftsmanship, especially in the current [luxury] environment. We felt it was important to keep working suppliers that are known to us and are ethical — the factories are family-owned and have been there for generations,” she said.
The line will roll out into all of Aman’s 36 sites and it will sit alongside the brand’s home fragrance, fine fragrance, ready-to-wear, supplements, skin care and yoga accessories offerings.
And the Aman Tennis Club will be dropping more pieces throughout the busy tennis season.
Romanova has been watching Aman Essentials grow with a hawk eye.
The brand’s ready-to-wear category has seen 48 percent year-on-year growth followed by skin care growing at 47 percent year-on-year and accessories at 27 percent year-on-year.
Aman Essentials’ strongest market is North America and the Caribbean, which accounts for 44 percent of sales. Coming in a close second, Asia accounts for 42 percent of sales and Europe, the Middle East and Africa sits at 14 percent.
The brand is also stocked in Harrods, Neiman Marcus and Violet Grey, but its on-site boutiques at the resorts account for majority of sales, according to Romanova.
“The boutiques are at the core of the business and of course, there’s always expectations to grow our direct-to-consumer, which continues to happen, but Aman is so rooted in experience,” she said.
Being a workaholic is nothing new to Romanova.
At 30 years old, she may seem young on paper, but she has been working since she was 16 and counts her fashion career as a formative period.
“Seeing Mr. Ralph Lauren and his team work, from the design process to how they check for quality, still inspires me to this day. Even going to fashion weeks, that’s part of my creative boost,” said Romanova.
She has been CEO of Aman Essentials since 2022 and her biggest learning has been to stay patient and true to the brand DNA, but when it comes to launching new categories or products, she thrives off the adrenaline rush just like a tennis player on court.
The Aman is doubling down on tennis with more than just the many courts found on each resort’s site or the Aman Tennis Club. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic signed on as a global wellness adviser in August last year.
And the Aman holds sentimental value for Djokovic, who married his childhood sweetheart, Jelena Ristic, at the Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro in 2014.
He has designed a detoxification program for the Aman, which is currently available at seven of the resorts.
“I feel like throughout my professional career, I have had many different learnings and experiences that have helped me to become the successful tennis player that I am and to keep playing at the age of 38 at the highest level,” said the 24-time Grand Slam winner in an interview.
“[My] focus is on longevity and wellness because I’ve been taking care of my body and mind for many years — those learnings can be implemented and applicable to many different programs of wellness,” he added.
The detoxification program concentrates on biotech, nutrition, hydration and supplements.
The biotech uses a formula that Djokovic has created using practices derived from ancient China, India and Eastern Europe.
“Wellness is a personal journey for me and I have a very holistic approach,” he said.
Djokovic wants to share his teachings over his decade-long career as an athlete.
He launched his Sila supplements business last year and has collaborated with Waterdrop, a water company that encourages the drinking of more water with its flavored electrolytes.
The tennis star is diving deeper into health and technology with another project called Regenesis Pod, which is due to come out on the market at the end of the year.
“I have basically incorporated all the wellness tech that I’ve been using for the last 15 to 20 years. It’s a multisensory experience and it’s something that I’ve been talking to Aman about incorporating into the hotels,” said Djokovic.
He explains that the pod is a “quick-fix, healthy solution to a fast-paced modern lifestyle.”
Even though Djokovic is against the term “quick fix,” he said he will be testing out the pods for better understanding. He wants to create something that “people can go in and out of in a short time — from eight, 10 to 12 minutes — and feel rejuvenated, reset, recharged.”
“I always like to personally be the guinea pig that tries things out and makes sure that something really works or doesn’t work before I share it with anybody else,” he said.
When it comes to the commercialization of his products, Djokovic explains that getting everything scientifically backed is crucial for him. His hydration drink supplements have been greenlit, while the pods are still undergoing scientific studies.
Djokovic speaks passionately about his projects despite a grueling tennis season ahead, which includes the Geneva Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon Championships and the U.S. Open.
“When I play the same tournaments over and over again for many years, I have certain rituals or places that I go to for recovery or mindfulness, [like] walks in nature, but when it comes to training, it’s like a base that we keep building on,” he said.
On the court, maintaining his speed is central to every game.
“Tennis is a sport that’s based on speed and time of reaction. We are working to maintain that level, [especially] with the 20-year-old boys — they’re coyotes that are there that want to rip you apart, so you have to be very sharp,” Djokovic contends.
He watched the anticipated Rome Open finale between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
“Honestly, I enjoyed it for a certain time and then I started getting sick in my stomach that I’m not the one playing. I had to switch [it] off and get back to my business of working out and getting ready to face them, hopefully in Paris,” said Djokovic.
“I felt that the end of the first set was very special and they played on a high level. The match-up between these two guys, [who are] now the leaders of tennis and the biggest rivalry we have right now, is awesome,” he said.
Djokovic hasn’t just been raking up trophies in his tennis career, but endorsements too.
He works with Lacoste for his on-court kit and Asics for his shoes, as well as Hublot, Qatar Airways and Head.
“Obviously, I do care about what I’m wearing and I try to be in the process of designing the clothes and its functionality. When it comes to tennis, it’s really shoes and a racket that tennis players don’t want to mess with,” said Djokovic.
He lives what he preaches as he enters the quarter-finals at the Geneva Open for a bid for his 100th ATP title.