The Australian Open has surpassed the Melbourne Cup as the city’s most fashionable event and retailers are using the grand slam court and its surrounding grounds as a living billboard. Ralph Lauren has been titled the official outfitter of the Australian Open and New Balance the official performance apparel and footwear partner for the Australian Open. While the two heritage American brands are busy dressing players, ballpersons and invited guests, Australian brands are busy activating
vating for the crowds and fans.
Some of Australia’s most successful retailers, including July luggage, beauty retailer Mecca and sunsmart brand Bondi Sands have launched innovative marketing campaigns designed specifically for the Australian Open.
The brands partnering with and participating in the 2025 Australian Open has set a new bar for out-of-home marketing.
July’s carry-on
July teamed up with the Australian Open to launch a limited-collection of luggage that aimed to blend sport and style – and brought to market the world’s first tennis carry on.
“The AO is the perfect match for July; it sits at that sweet spot of celebrating Australian summer culture with a tier one global event – it’s the ‘Happy Slam’ for a reason, and the best slam of the tennis tournaments,” July founder, Athan Didaskalou, told Inside Retail.
“To be teaming up with the AO to create something unique is a dream moment, a world-class product for a world-class event, with the Tennis Carry On as a world-first product,” he added.
Despite the phenomenal response and interest from tennis fans for July’s newest innovation and luggage iteration, there are no plans to make the collection part of the brand’s permanent range.
“Pro players are sliding into our DMs, we’ve had queues outside our Melbourne stores, and everyone’s asking why this hasn’t existed before. But we’ll keep it limited – special things should stay special,” shared Didaskalou.
July cleverly leveraged the Australian Open to introduce them to tennis fans, and sports fans at large, as a next-generation luggage designer by side stepping the trap of producing generic merchandise.
Mecca’s summer club
The Mecca Summer Club is like a miniature Mecca store dropped into the Australian Open’s Topcourt – not only selling products but offering complimentary 15-minute services, offering an expected 15,000 visitors not only a moment to discover new products but a moment to touch up.
“We knew that creating an ultimate beauty oasis where fans can refresh, reset and experience a range of beauty services as well as shop a lineup of Mecca’s best global brands would be a hit with both tennis fans and beauty enthusiasts alike,” Mecca’s chief marketing officer, Kate Blythe, told Inside Retail.
Australia’s largest prestige beauty retailer activating at the Australian Open is a major signifier that sporting events pull has extended to a far broader audience and brands would be remiss to not join in on cultural moments like this.
“The collaboration was initially sparked by a visit from Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia who spoke about how they innovate and stay ahead of the game which really resonated with our team and opened up an exciting opportunity to unite beauty, sport, and culture, to redefine how fans engage with the tournament,” Blythe explained.
This activation highlights that Mecca’s and the Australian Open’s respective brands are more closely aligned than spectators might assume – both businesses champion values of energy, creativity, and community.
Bondi Sands’ samples
Suncare brand Bondi Sands has been a partner of the Australian Open for years and has already committed to extending its partnership until 2027.
“As we have become a globally recognised brand and market leader in sun care, extending our partnership with Tennis Australia for the Australian Open has formed a major part of our strategy for the Bondi Sands sun care category,” said Shaun Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Bondi Sands, in a statement.
Sometimes it’s hard to see the brand alignment in commercial collaborations but this one is a no brainer – The Australian Open is synonymous with the Australian summer and sunscreen is demanded by the UV in January.
Half a million bottles of Bondi Sands Sport SPF 50 Wet Skin sunscreen samples will be handed out to Australian Open attendees over the 15 day tournament.