Sergio Tacchini's licensing and collaborations brought it back

Sergio Tacchini, founded in Piedmont in 1966 by a former tennis pro, broke the all-white tradition of tennis sportswear with bold colours and elegant fabrics. Its tracksuits became style markers in the 80s and 90s.

The label filed for bankruptcy in 2007 and went through several ownership changes. It then rebuilt visibility through licensing, an upmarket repositioning and a move to New York, signing a marketing partnership that made an agency the agent of its brand licenses in major international markets.

The relaunch leaned on selective collaborations, from A$AP Nast to the collective Brain Dead, mixing heritage and modernity. The strategy was to restore the Italian, tennis-rooted brand to its former position and appeal to a new generation.

Celebrity exposure reinforced the comeback, with Pete Davidson wearing a Sergio Tacchini tracksuit at a film premiere in Los Angeles. The brand came back as part of a broader revival of old-school sportswear names from Reebok to Fila and Kappa.

The label regained visibility through licensing and collaborations, and red-carpet wear by celebrities helped it rejoin the retro sportswear revival.

The label had a real tennis heritage and strong brand recognition.

Licensing let it rebuild without owning its own retail and manufacturing.

An upmarket repositioning and New York move shifted the brand's positioning.

Celebrity wear, like Pete Davidson's tracksuit, gave it free cultural capital.

The retro sportswear wave lifted all these heritage names together.

A legacy brand can come back through licensing and collaborations rather than a full relaunch; Tacchini let partners and culture reintroduce it instead of rebuilding its own retail.

Sergio Tacchini went from a bankrupt label to a quietly rebounding heritage brand, rebuilt on licensing and collaborations rather than a costly relaunch. It repositioned upmarket, moved to New York and leaned on culture to reach a new audience. The comeback rode a wider revival of old-school sportswear that also lifted Reebok, Fila, Kappa and Ellesse.