New brands with fantastic founders excite me. All the more so when a Berlin woman sets up a new fashion label and wants to occupy a very specific niche in the large shark tank of the tennis clothing industry. Today we are introducing you to Andrea Tübbicke-Schmidt founded fashion label 30 Love a year ago Matching and fresh feel-good tennis fashion for the tennis player over 30 . We'll tell you why the market needs this and what the founder is behind.
Not only since the tennis clothing discussion that broke out at the Australian Open about Serena Williams' "catsuit" has many tennis players asked themselves where to look for a "suitable" tennis outfit. Tennis clothes from standard clothing manufacturers are no longer ideal or suitable for many tennis players, especially at a somewhat "advanced" age. Be it the cut or the color and fabric combinations. Too short, too narrow, too many paint boxes - the frustration of shopping sometimes ruins the shopping experience for some TennisTraveller .
It's all the more refreshing when a young entrepreneur starts a new clothing brand and wants to let the "Over Thirties" shine with suitable, well-fitting tennis clothing. Feel Good over Thirties is the motto. That's why today we're introducing you to Andrea Tübbicke-Schmidt and her fashion label 30 Love - as always with questions that aren't off the shelf either.
I am 36 years old and live in Berlin with my husband Peter and my little daughter Annabelle. And I am the founder of “30 Love”.
I have discovered myself how difficult it is to find nice tennis clothes that make me feel “dressed” and comfortable. When I asked around among my friends, I received similar feedback. And then I thought: I can do something positive for women's tennis here and launched “30 Love”.
It bothers me that the skirts are so outrageously short.
I would never think of wearing skirts like this in the office, in everyday life or even when doing other sports. And I also often felt constricted in the tops and thought I should tuck in my stomach. I always felt like I had to constantly tug at my clothes to make them fit. And when I hit it, I was afraid that I would suddenly be completely out in the open.
When I'm on the tennis court, I want to have fun and really work out. Unfortunately, that's not possible if these negative thoughts are constantly circling in my mind. And since I'm still ambitious, I want to play my best tennis. But that doesn't work either if thoughts about my appearance rob me of concentration.
Andrea, founder of 30 Love
Imagine being able to just be who you are on the pitch. You don't have to be afraid of showing more skin than you want. Nothing pinches or pinches, nothing chafes. You finally feel free. How good would it be if you just looked effortlessly good in your tennis outfit? Do negative thoughts about your body disappear? Think about how nice it would be if you were much more self-confident and the others felt that too - on and off the pitch? And you also play better? This is exactly what the tennis ladies can expect! Or as the fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent put it: “Good clothing is a passport for happiness.”
Yes, I am convinced of that. There are also research results on this. Studies show that what we wear not only has a big impact on our mood, but also our performance. The social psychologist Barbara Fredrickson from the University of North Carolina conducted an experiment: she had women and men take a math test. Half of the participants should wear a swimsuit or swimming trunks and the other half should wear a sweatshirt.
The result: Women who wore a swimsuit during a math test performed significantly worse than those who wore a sweatshirt. The researchers were able to show the following: when their bodies are on display, women worry too much about what others think of them and can't concentrate as well on the task at hand. As a result, performance suffers. For men, however, clothing had no influence on their performance.
In another study, psychologists at the University of Toronto found that women in loose sports outfits achieved significantly better results in tests of, among other things, hand-eye coordination than women in tight-fitting clothing. The reasoning was the same here too. Therefore, “dress for success” also applies on the tennis court.
The 30 Love clothing is designed so that it does not stick to the body, but rather falls beautifully, flattering and loose. Our skirts, dresses and shorts have an optimal, moderate length - not too short, but not too long that it would look old-fashioned - just right. In addition, you are supported in the right places, for example by the wide, high waistband or the sewn-in shorts. In short: You can rely on 30 Love to cut a good figure on the pitch. You don't have to worry about that anymore. Your focus can therefore be completely where it belongs: on the next ball.
My favorite piece from the current collection is the “Gabriela” dress. It simply falls beautifully and cuts an incredibly great figure. In combination with the “Anke” shorts, I think it’s unbeatable.
I design myself and my pattern maker Ines then helps me turn my ideas and sketches into pattern pieces and cuts. I had very specific ideas for the material. It should be very elastic and feel like a second skin. It wasn't that easy to find something like that. I visited several fabric fairs and combed through all the offerings. I then found my dream fabric from an Italian supplier, from which the entire collection was made in a textile factory in the Ore Mountains. I print the logos and washing labels on the clothing myself. I also do the packaging and shipping myself. Production in Germany is very important to me - here too I want to consciously do it differently than the big brands.
The lowest point was clearly the first lockdown in March 2020. Just when my material was supposed to be produced, the whole of Italy was shut down. I didn't know whether the company would survive economically and whether I would ever get my fabric, which I had already paid for. In the end everything went well. I wasn't able to release the collection in the spring as planned, but only in the fall, but at least.
It was and is always a great experience that I receive a lot of support. More often than ever before, I plucked up the courage and actively asked people for support. And as a result, I get mostly positive feedback and real help. I am very, very grateful for that.
That was simply indescribable. But it was even nicer when our women's 30 team tried on the finished collection for the first time. The girls, who even made themselves available as models for the photo shoot, were thrilled and looked incredibly good. That was the best feeling ever.
30 Love should remain a small, fine and independent brand. I want to gradually release new colors and new pieces that harmonize perfectly with the existing collection. My goal is for my customers to have something from their 30 love pieces for a long time and to be able to combine them with each other again and again - like a good business outfit. I'm happy when word gets out more and more that feeling good and looking good on the tennis court is no longer a contradiction in terms and that 30 Love is becoming the favorite brand of tennis ladies.
As a teenager, I played a lot and was able to celebrate a few successes, such as winning the Berlin and East German championships. When I started working, tennis took a back seat and I took a longer break. Two years ago I picked up the bat again for the first time. After the messed up winter, I'm now really looking forward to the summer season and trying to get fit for it.
I'm a huge Miami Beach fan. On my first visit, I was 16 years old when we were allowed to prepare for the season in Florida with our tennis club's first women's and men's teams. Since then I've been drawn back to Miami Beach.
I'm particularly interested in what experiences you have with the topic of tennis clothing? Do you find it easy to find nice clothes? What could be even better? What would you like from your clothes? I would be very happy if you stop by www.30love.de and give me your feedback.
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