Before tennis became a spectacle of power and neon, it was a game of precision, elegance, and composure. Played on manicured grass, in pleated trousers and buttoned collars, it was as much about form as it was about formality. Nowhere was this more evident than in the attire of the game’s early masters, the French “Four Musketeers” of the 1920s: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste.

They brought a quiet defiance to the court. Lacoste with his signature soft-collared shirts, Borotra bounding to the net in a belted blazer, Cochet calm and unflinching at the baseline. Their style, effortless, balanced, unhurried, set a tone that continues to resonate beyond the clay and grass.

The Rubato Tennis Jacket in linen is not a replica of that era, but a reflection of its values. Light in hand yet defined in shape, it’s made with the same attention to proportion and restraint. The cloth, Irish linen, gives it breathability without fragility, form without fuss. Like Cochet’s game, it conceals control beneath an air of ease.

We looked to details that hold purpose: an notch lapel, slightly rounded hem, and generous sleeves that move with you. No lining, no padding, no excess. Just a sense of readiness - on or off the court. It’s a garment meant to be worn in motion, shaped not only by the body but by the life around it: sunlight, sea air, travel, repetition. The kind of piece that improves the more you use it, like a racquet grip worn to fit the hand.

Where much of contemporary sportwear seeks performance through technology, this jacket recalls a time when performance came from poise. From a certain way of standing. Of dressing. The Four Musketeers didn’t just win, they carried themselves in a way that suggested time moved differently around them. Slower. More deliberate.

In that, there’s a parallel with Rubato. Our approach to design isn’t guided by seasonality or spectacle. It’s shaped by rhythm, slowing down, speeding up, always feeling our way forward. The Tennis Jacket belongs to this rhythm. It’s not a statement. It’s a pause. An edit. A garment that doesn’t ask for attention, only to be lived in.

R - It seems you always embrace contradictions, such as classic British tailoring and Japanese fashion brands effortlessly, how do you walk that line and is it something you’ve always done?

FN - I’ve always been interested in clothes and how different people dress! I love so many different styles and subcultures that I wouldn’t dream of wearing (punk, terrace wear,
goth, hip hop etc..).

The older I get the more I’ve refined my style, I know what I like and what suits me. I gravitate to makers, clothing or brands that have some kind of story or history to them. I love finding out the process someone went through to achieve a particular dye or in your case (Rubato) hearing about that famous first trip to Scotland to get exactly the fit you wanted with no compromise.

I’m not so much interested in how old a brand or tailor is but way more important to me is the actual product and effort gone into making it.

Tailoring, denim and a few slightly more obscure Japanese brands just seem to work with my principles and aesthetic. I do like to try new, maybe slightly odd or eccentric pieces in to the mix and maybe it doesn’t always work, but if you don’t try something you’ll never know!

Worn with high-rise trousers or over a simple knit, it speaks in the same tone as those French players once did: elegant, focused, unbothered by trend. You don’t need to play tennis to wear it.

But it helps if you understand its tempo.

SEE THE TENNIS JACKET BELOW