PRINCE TENNIS TAPS DAVID GRUTMAN FOR BRAND EXPANSION

American tennis brand Prince has entered into a new strategic partnership with David Grutman, founder of Miami-based Groot Hospitality, to bring his influence to the brand’s creative direction and collaborations.

Grutman’s first collaboration he will produce for the brand is with fashion sport and street style retailer UNKNWN, where they will launch a limited-edition tennis-inspired clothing capsule. The collection, Prince x UNKNWN, will debut during the 2019 Miami Open. This partnership comes from Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a global brand owner, marketing and entertainment company with a portfolio of iconic brands that includes Prince Tennis.

The Prince x UNKNWN collection offers a mix of unisex t-shirts, hoodies, and bottoms, and pays homage to the brand’s tennis roots with a single racquet in classic tennis colors infused with pops of white, mint green, black, and coral. Topping off the assortment, an all-white tennis skirt and crop top for women will debut.

“Prince is an iconic brand that I’ve been a fan of for many years,” said Grutman. “I look forward to partnering on next level opportunities, the first being Prince x UNKNWN debuting in Miami. We have awesome projects in the works that we can’t wait to announce – stay tuned.”

“We are excited to be launching Prince Off-Court with such a strong partner like David Grutman,” commented Matt Salter, senior director of brand collaborations at ABG. “With the popularity of tennis and the rise of streetwear fashion, the launch of Prince x UNKNWN is a great addition to the growth of the brand. It has been a pleasure working with UNKNWN, who’s reputation and execution have earned them the distinction as the exclusive Miami retailer for top tier brands.”

“When you distill the style of Miami, there are elements of it that generate from the tennis courts of Florida,” added UNKNWN co-founder and CEO, Jaron Kanfer. “Even in earlier eras of Miami culture, the sound of a Prince ball hitting the hard court was the drumbeat of the town. Classic ‘On the Court’ style is bouncing back into fashion for both genders especially with the brands that have significant impact on the sporting world. With the upcoming Miami Open as a background, we are thrilled to partner with a great icon of tennis on this exciting new collection. As part of the collaboration, we’ve added our signature touch to Prince’s classic graphics which include an exclusive racquet that speaks to the electricity of our city and timelessness of the game.”

The Prince x UNKNWN collection will fete the evening before its retail launch at a dinner with a who’s who of Miami at Grutman’s Design District restaurant Swan followed by a celebration at Story the night after on March 23.  The collection is set to launch at the UNKNWN store in the Aventura Mall on Saturday, March 23 and online at www.UNKNWN.com and www.PrinceOffCourt.com.