Fashion designer Stella McCartney brings ‘rebellion’ chic to Wimbledon

If the All England Lawn Tennis Club is well known for its strict rules and regulations, fashion designer Stella McCartney says she’s hoping to bring a “bit of rebellion” to the courts at Wimbledon this July.

The British designer, whose tailoring has always been noted for its elegant, easy-to-wear style has fashioned a new collection for this year’s championships for some of the sport’s leading players.

With white clothing strictly the order of the day on court at SW19, McCartney has taken inspiration from vintage lingerie creating dresses that emphasize femininity.

“I’m fascinated by performance and not sacrificing style for sport,” McCartney told CNN in an exclusive interview. “What I love is that it’s one of the few disciplines that has femininity attached to it.

“I felt that had been lost along the way, not enough was being made of this amazing opportunity for women playing tennis and so my desire was to bring fashion to the court.”

McCartney’s latest dresses – part of Adidas’ Barricade collection – will be worn by 2015 women’s singles finalist Garbine Muguruza and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.

Stella McCartney has designed a new ladies collection for this year's Wimbledon.

McCartney took inspiration from vintage white lingerie for her Wimbledon dresses -- the All-England Lawn Tennis Club has a strict all-white dress code for players.

Garbine Muguruza (pictured at this year's French Open) and Caroline Wozniacki will be wearing McCartney's designs at Wimbledon.

McCartney, seen here with her husband Alasdhair Willis at the 2014 Wimbledon championships enjoys playing tennis too. "I have a mean forehand, but a terrible, terrible backhand," she told CNN.

Caroline Wozniacki is pictured sporting McCartney's "Barricade" dress at this year's Wimbledon.

Wozniacki, seen here at the 2016 US Open in New York, has been a long-time wearer of McCartney's tennis dresses.
"I have a very deep connection with Caroline -- we've worked together for so long," McCartney said.

"I've had a lot of positive feedback but it's normally around how feminine and sensual they feel -- I think it's a difficult thing being a woman in a man's world in sport," McCartney said.

McCartney is also keen for amateur tennis players to wear her kit which is produced in collaboration with German sports wear manufacturer Adidas.
"I get a lot of feedback saying they think they are wearing the best tennis gear available in the marketplace for sure, which I'm very proud of," McCartney said.

"Before I started I don't think there was quite so much availability of embroideries, prints or mixing colors," McCartney said. "I think it was perhaps a little bit more old fashioned in its approach."

McCartney designed the Olympics clothing for Great Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games in London and Rio respectively. Here she is at the kit launch for London 2012 with triple jumper Phillips Idowu (left) and heptathlon star Jessica Ennis (right).

McCartney shares some time out with her Beatle dad, Paul (left) and husband Alasdhair (right) at London's O2 arena during an NBA match between Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in 2014.

Stella McCartney brings style and rebellion to Wimbledon

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McCartney has worked closely with Wozniacki for a number of years now, helping to update the image of women’s tennis kit.

“Before I started I don’t think there was quite so much availability of embroideries, prints or mixing colours. I think it was perhaps a little bit more old fashioned in its approach … I like to think I’ve brought in a little bit of rebellion onto the court,” said McCartney.

“For me, cutlines are really important to really accentuate areas of the body but also to build in the technical (aspects of sports clothing).”

Tennis fashion isn’t the only area of sporting expertise for McCartney, who is perhaps best known for designing the British Olympic team’s kit for the two most recent Summer Games in London and Rio.

Caroline Wozniacki sporting one of McCartney's Adidas dresses at last year's US Open.

Working with Olympians taught her about the technical requirements of sports clothing, she says, but also that athletes, just like her fashion clientele, want to look good on the public stage too.

“Technically you have to tick all of the boxes – it has to have stretch, movability, breathability – but I find there is such emotion to when you are performing sport,” she said.

“As a woman you want to feel good about how you look as well – I think that has an impact on how you perform. When I was working with the athletes at the Olympic Games they told me that.”

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1900s —

Judging by this 1908 photograph of two tennis players lounging in crisp white shirt and trousers, the sport has come a long way in the last century.
"Back then, the men would play in long trousers and long shirts and sometimes even neckties. And the women would wear big skirts and occasionally corsets and big bellowing sleeves," says Ben Rothenberg, author of "The Stylish Life: Tennis."
"They would look at someone on court today and think they were practically naked by their standards."
With the French Open in full swing in Paris -- a city often described as one of the "fashion capitals of the world" -- we take a look back at some of the sport's most memorable, and downright bizarre, style moments.

1910s —

A young lady enjoys a hit at the Queen's Club lawns in London, 1918, dressed in a long pleated skirt and stockings.
"Tennis started out in the Victorian era in England as a lawn sport for the aristocracy," says Rothenberg.
"It would be something that happened at social occasions; people would string up a net just in the front lawn of their manor, and they would play in fairly similar attire to what they were wearing at the time."

1920s —

"One of the earliest innovations they had was the wearing of all-white, which caught on pretty quickly because it was a way for sweat to be hidden," explains Rothenberg of a dress code that still remains at Wimbledon today.
"Especially for the women, being seen to be perspiring was unthinkable and incredibly unsightly."
By the 1920s, sportswear had become less restrictive, with these two women wearing sleeveless tops and sun visors in 1926.

1920s —

One of the most controversial players of the 1920s was chic French star Suzanne Lenglen (pictured in 1925).
"She was scandalous in many different ways; sometimes sipping brandy in the changeovers," says Rothenberg.
"Suzanne really was a tennis icon who had a lot of influence on general fashion. Even the head wraps she'd wear to keep the hair out of her eyes became a fixture of 1920s fashion for women around Europe and the U.S."

1930s —

Off the court, French player Rene Lacoste made his name as a fashion icon with his crocodile motif (pictured here in 1932).
"Lacoste, which became the polo shirt, has really become a staple of American and European menswear," says Rothenberg.
"It's the most lasting fashion footprint worldwide coming from tennis."

1940s —

Young English players here opt for a smart-casual style in the mid-1940s.
This image features in Rothenberg's book, "The Stylish Life: Tennis," published by teNeues, courtesy Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS.

1950s —

Former U.S. First Lady Jackie Kennedy adds a touch of glamor to the sport in 1953. The image also features in the book, "The Stylish Life: Tennis," published by teNeues, courtesy Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS.

1960s —

"You still see wooden tennis rackets showing up in clothing catalogs a fair amount today. It's become an iconic symbol of leisure, relaxation, wealth and elegance," says Rothenberg.
"You see models holding them over their shoulder with a sweater tied around their neck, and it's become a timeless, preppy prop."
Here, two models show off their stylish sports attire in 1964.

1960s —

Back on the court, legendary American player Billie-Jean King didn't let a pair of oversized spectacles stop her reaching for success in the late 1960s.
King won the women's singles title at Wimbledon six times, the U.S. Open four times, and the Roland Garros tournament in Paris once.

1970s —

Swedish tennis great Bjorn Borg kept his hair long, and shorts short, in the mid-1970s.

1970s —

It might not be the most practical sports attire, but that didn't stop a generation swooning over Diane Keaton's cute-as-a-button waistcoat and tie ensemble in Woody Allen's 1977 film "Annie Hall."
The image features in the book, "The Stylish Life: Tennis," published by teNeues, courtesy Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS.

1980s —

Note to self: If you're going to walk onto a court in a white Lycra bodysuit, then you don't want to walk off the court a loser. Luckily, American player Anne White could hold her head high after winning in this space-age suit in 1985.
This picture features in the book, "The Stylish Life: Tennis," published by teNeues, courtesy Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS.

1980s —

Argentine tennis player Gabriela Sabatini opts for a graphic design during the 1985 Wimbledon Championships.

1980s —

Perhaps you'd be upset too, if you had hair like this. John McEnroe lets rip during a tournament in 1980.
"I think a lot of people identified with McEnroe," says Rothenberg. "It was right when punk music was around, and people saw him as anti-establishment in a way they found really appealing and relatable -- even though it was a love-hate relationship at times."

1980s —

Thought you couldn't play tennis in denim shorts? Try telling that to Andre Agassi in 1989.

1990s —

A baby-faced Monica Seles poses with Martina Navratilova after winning the 1991 U.S. Open.

1990s —

Germany's Steffi Graf wears a floral skirt during the French Open in 1995. Note the scrunchie.

2000s —

Oh how we wish those Victorian-era women, in cumbersome white skirts and stockings, could see Serena Williams tear up the court in a skin-tight black catsuit during the U.S. Open in 2002.
The look on their faces would be priceless.

2000s —

Russia's Maria Sharapova had an interesting take on Wimbledon's "all-white" rule, sporting a tuxedo-style top in 2008.

2010s —

When it comes to on-court fashion, there's just no beating the Williams sisters -- as exemplified by Venus' eye-popping lattice top at the Australian Open in 2011.
"I think Venus and Serena have both said: 'If you look good, you'll play good,'" says Rothenberg.
"That said, if you're going to wear something bold, you want to have the talent to pull it off. Everything looks better when you're winning."

2010s —

Decades after Suzanne Lenglen made the sport headband fashionable, Spain's Rafael Nadal opts for an aqua-colored number in Monte Carlo, earlier this year.
"Tennis has always been a sport about self-expression," says Rothenburg.
"That individuality is what really kept tennis going -- whether it's McEnroe, or Agassi, or Serena or Venus Williams, they all have that independent streak that I think people really admire."

2015 —

Like Nadal, Maria Sharapova will be defending her title at Roland Garros this year, in what has been dubbed "The Nike Maria Paris Dress" (pictured.) It features Dri-FIT fabric that helps wick the sweat away from the body and French Breton-style stripes. This is Paris, after all.

French Open: Tennis fashion has come a long way in the last century...

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Versatility

Versatility has always been a common thread throughout McCartney’s career – the 45-year-old is equally at home creating exquisitely tailored trouser suits as she is designing glamorous gowns for the rich and famous.

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Related video Stella McCartney on fashion and sustainability

She is also a champion of using sustainability in fashion, using recycled ocean plastics in some products including a shoe in her collaboration with Adidas.

“I love to use innovation and technology, I love to be a game changer – that’s what I find exciting,” added McCartney, who is the second child of Beatle Paul and American photographer wife Linda.

“I think the fashion industry, in (the sustainability) conversation is very old fashioned. I think we are an industry that could perform in a more mindful and responsible manner and that’s my intention.”

"Cutlines are really important to really accentuate areas of the body," McCartney says.

McCartney’s pioneering efforts with environmental recycling and her crossovers into sportswear are clearly important to the designer but at her core she remains committed to making women look and feel good – off and on the court.

Visit CNN.com/tennis for more news and features

“I’ve had a lot of positive feedback, normally around how feminine and sensual that they feel – I think it’s a difficult thing being a woman in a man’s world in sport,” she says.

“I feel very proud of what we’ve done with Barricade and the Adidas collaboration. I believe we have really managed to fuse fashion and sport successfully and I think there’s a lot more we can do.”