Film and Fashion – Challengers
From Vogue writing an article on how Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’ made sweat Summer’s biggest new accessory (one of 5+ pieces written on the film from the fashion news conglomerate) to uncountable Substack posts and YouTube video essays, ‘Challengers’ is seemingly at the tip of everyone’s tongue.
I can understand why.
A couple days ago I watched it myself, and I cannot take my mind off of it.
I listen to the soundtrack for my high intensity workouts (carrying groceries home), longingly browse Loewe’s ‘Challengers’ collection wishing I could afford it, and have watched every Josh O’Connor, Zendaya, and Mike Faist interview that enters my feed. Guadagnino’s masterpiece on tennis and threesomes is a parasite that won’t leave me alone, and I symbiotically embrace its presence.
There are many aspects of the movie I could analyse, such as the titillating techno music (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, you’ve done it again), the incredible performances delivered by the three leads, or even the plot flow and incredible camera work. There is no shortage on discussion. As my penchant for fashion dominates most of my decisions, it is without doubt what I will be dissecting in this article — the clothes.
Jonathan Anderson
For those unaware, the costume designer for ‘Challengers’ was Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of LOEWE. On choosing the costume designer, Guadagnino said “I am a sucker for fashion, and someone who has rocked the fashion world is Jonathan Anderson.” Anderson, though the creative director of LOEWE, has never designed costumes for a film before, making ‘Challengers’ his first foray into film costume design
If we look at other sport film costumes, films such as ‘Bend It Like Beckham,’ and ‘Bring It On,’ embraced an early 2000’s style both on and off the sporting ground, whilst the tennis film ‘Match Point,’ leaned into a style that depicted desire, money, and fortune. Tackling the complexities of athleticism in the form of clothes is not easy, regardless, Anderson pulls it off in his costume design debut.
Tennis is a sport deeply entrenched in clothing. In Wimbledon, for example, players can be fined for not wearing the required all-white dress code. Though the game can appear to be simple to the outside eye- hitting a ball with a racquet within the lines- those who are familiar with it will understand that it is far deeper and complex than that. This is reflected throughout the character’s clothes seemingly effortlessly throughout the film. Below is a breakdown of the costumes for the characters Tashi, Patrick, and Art (Zendaya, O’Connor, and Faist).
(Warning — ‘Challengers’ spoilers ahead)
Tashi Duncan / Zendaya
The first Introduction of Zendaya’s character, Tashi Duncan.
When we are introduced to Tashi in the present day, her outfit is punctuated by Chanel espadrilles, and a Cartier watch that purposefully flashes as the match progresses. A LOEWE cotton shirt dress is wrapped around her and tied at her stomach in a knot as she watches her husband and a former lover duke it out on the court. Even in later scenes, flashbacks from a week or so earlier, she wears silky blouses and tailored jeans, which together create a silhouette of wealth. As we delve further into the past, however, we learn that Tashi’s self-confidence is nothing new, and her outfits from her youth show this.
Tashi Duncan in her youth, sporting an all-white, tailored Adidas tennis dress.
As a young girl on a trajectory towards fame and wealth within the realm of tennis, Tashi’s strong sense of self is evident. On the junior US Open court she wears all white tailored Adidas, part of her Adidas campaign, and later that same night she wears a blue strapless dress with black tulle underneath. Her clothes suit her, and everything she wears looks effortless and cool. Later in the hotel room with the other two characters where she wears a fuchsia Juicy Couture jumper, and after initiating a three way make out only to pull back and watch the boys kiss each other, the unmistakeable Juicy ‘J’ on the jumper’s zipper sways. This, the tennis dress, and the blue victory dress all scream triumph.
Tashi Duncan in the fuchsia Juicy Couture velvet jumper.
Her character embodies success, both in her youth and in the present, as a businesswoman, a coach, a mother, and a wife. She’s a better tennis player, she’s wealthier, more successful, and better than you are, and her clothes, both as a young tennis prodigy and coach, tells you that.
Patrick Zweig / Josh O’Connor
Our first impression of Josh O’Connor’s character, Patrick Zweig.
Inspired by JFK Jr.’s larger than life personality and clothes from the 80s and 90s, Patrick Zweig, played by Josh O’Connor, seemingly puts no thought into what he wears. Most of his outfits look like they’ve been dug up from a pile of laundry on the floor of his room — or car — and yet they exude his sex appeal and charm. During the challengers match he wears a mismatched Impatto muscle tank paired with truly hideous grey and black plaid shorts. This isn’t his first rodea in mismatched outfits.
If we look at the character in his last year of high school we find a person that dresses well only when he has to, so only during tennis competitions. Outside of competitions he wears worn cotton boxers, weathered jeans, and a cheeky “I TOLD YA” tee shirt, a nod to both the 2000’s obsession with ironic graphic tees, as well as JFK Jr.’s own style.
JFK Jr. in Central Park wearing a white shirt that reads “I TOLD YA” circa 1990.
A poster for the film where Josh O’Connor, i.e., Patrick Zweig, wears appropriate tennis wear.
The stylistic choices for Patrick was a nod to Kennedy’s carefree boyishness that persisted well into his adulthood. The almost blatant lack of evolution in his clothes as he grows up reflects a strong connection to his roots and a desire to maintain a sense of authenticity. Even though the story makes it clear that he comes from money, he chooses not to benefit from it, and continues to pursue tennis for the pure joy of it, and possibly out of a sense of arrogance. This decision enhances his all-American image—grounded, genuine, and driven by personal passion rather than external validation. His clothes, casual yet timeless, reinforce the impression of a man who values substance over style, embodying the classic American ideals of individualism and perseverance. All in all, his character screams all-American, and the clothes he wears only amplify that thought.
Art Donaldson / Mike Faist
As he grows out of both his friendship with Patrick and his old ill-fitting polo shirts, Art’s style can be summarised in three words, namely, ‘very good boy.’ He obediently wears his Uniqlo sponsored outfit, the red logo impossible to hide, from his wrist sweat bands to his shirt. He does what his wife tells him to do, and his looks are carefully selected, telling the audience that he follows Tashi’s advice closely while also exuding complete confidence in his undeniably great performance in tennis.
Art Donaldson / Mike Faist in his Uniqlo tennis set.
This is also reflected in what he wears as a college student. At Stanford he diligently wears his college merch, from a baseball cap to a bright red shirt, and is rarely seen without them on during his screen time as a student. This marks a significant transformation from who he was before - a boy who spent his teenage years drinking warm beer underage in dingy hotel rooms with Patrick. As he outgrows those years, he embraces a new look: all ivy, all college clothing. This new wardrobe signifies his first step he takes to becoming the wealthy and successful tennis player he wants to be.
Art in his Stanford merch shirt tee and cap.
Art in the hotel room with Patrick and Tashi, all teenagers, after their singular can of warm beer has run out.
The clothes across the film make subtle references to the outside world. For example, dressing Faist in Uniqlo was a nod to Anderson’s previous collaborations with the brand, while Zendaya’s Loewe bags from the 2023 season appear despite the main match being set in 2019. These choices evoke character traits and point to parts of the storyline where a character’s resolve breaks (Tashi wearing a cotton shirt instead of a silk nightgown for her rendezvous with Patrick) and equality (Patrick and Art wearing the same look, a single towel, in the sauna scene to present the two as peers). Even after it’s all stripped away, which happens across the film as we see each character in various forms of nudity, Challengers is beautifully crafted and warmly remembered. If anything can be predicted from this in terms of fashion trends, it’s a rising interest in preppy tennis outfits, “I TOLD YA” tees, and LOEWE products.