Play For Love X Vijay Amritraj
Inspired By International Tennis Player Vijay Amritraj
The ‘Play For Love’ Collection has been inspired by international tennis player Vijay Amritraj, whose love for tennis and determination to succeed has motivated one and all, especially young children to follow their dreams. The collection celebrates Vijay Amritraj’s 50 glorious years at Wimbledon and his continued dedication to the sport, inspiring young people through initiatives including ‘Road to Wimbledon’ .
It is important to us at the House of Gharats that each of our silk scarf collections represent something meaningful, and the Play For Love X Vijay Amritraj does just that. Amritraj has throughout his career as a tennis player, sports commentator and occasional actor, inspired people to follow their dreams and never give up.
The ‘Play for Love’ collection is the perfect opportunity for us to combine our Indian origins with the culture of the place we now call home, Britain – representing the best of both worlds.
Scarf & Pocket Square Collection
A very British affair
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and arguably the most famous. Since the first tournament in 1877, the Championships have been hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London and take place over two weeks in late June – early July. Andre Agassi described the game of tennis as ‘the language of life, advantage, service, fault, break, love – the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence because every match is a life in miniature’.
Although much has changed since the Wimbledon Championships were first introduced in 1887, there are still a number of traditional images that spring to mind when thinking about this iconic tournament. From the strawberries and cream to the white dress code and the strong ties to the Royal family. All of which combined continue to preserve Wimbledon’s place both in British heritage and at the forefront of the tennis world.
In 2018 Wimbledon marked 50 years since the start of the Open Era, when the four grand slam tournaments finally agreed that professionals could compete with amateurs, ending a split that had divided the sport since the 1800s.
A dreaming boy
As a child Amritaj was very sick, he grew up in India with a serious lung disease and spent a large portion of his childhood going in and out of hospital. Eventually, the doctors advised his parents that he should start playing an outdoor sport in the hope that physical activity would help return him to good health.
In India, a country with over a billion people, spending hard-earned money on professional tennis training for a sick child was something most people had no understanding for. But tennis turned things around for Amritraj, and he became not only one of the first professional tennis players to come from India, but one of the first ever professionals from India in any sport.
The sport not only cured his illness, it propelled him to the height of success as India’s first professional sportsman. Tennis not only taught Amritraj about the world, but about himself and what he was able to achieve. It was important to represent his hopes, dreams and the challenges he overcame in the design of our scarf. One of the designs playfully illustrates a bed ridden child, dreaming of his future.
Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj was ranked no.1 in Asia for 14 years and he holds the record for the longest Davis cup career in history. In sport, Vijay has beaten the world’s best in tennis, including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John Newcombe and Stan Smith. In 1976, at the age of 23, he won the Newport Hall of Fame Tournament. In 1980, he reached a career-high world ranking of 16 in the singles, making him India’s highest-ever ranked singles player.
Perhaps one of the most unexpected ventures of all came in 1983 when Amritraj played a cameo in the James Bond film Octopussy, and later, had a role in the Star Trek series. ‘Not many can say that. Not even Federer,’ he grins.
Furthermore, Vijay was awarded the prestigious Pierre Coubertin Award by the United Nations in Paris in November 1988 and is the only Asian to receive the honor. He was President of the ATP Tour Player Council from 1989 through 1992 and again in 1994. In 2001 Amritraj was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, for enhancing India’s image overseas.
Amritraj has done many amazing things throughout his life, not all of which involve tennis. He was appointed messenger of Peace by Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, alongside legendary boxer Mohammed Ali, Michael Douglas, the actor, Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Laureate and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, which allowed him to see the difference one can make when you set your mind to it. He also represented India in the Olympic Games, by carrying the Olympic torch, a special honour granted by the government of India. These achievements spurred Amritraj on to start his own foundation to help charities in India. In 2006, Vijay founded The Vijay Amritraj Foundation, an international charity serving the destitute of India.
Love or Love, the ball is in your court
The name of the collection is a play on words, love has two meanings. Firstly, describing Amritraj’s love of the game and secondly we use the word love in the sense of the game – love means having a score of zero or nil. Love means nothing in tennis, but it’s everything in life.
Eye on the ball
Including tennis balls into the design of the scarf felt like the perfect way to represent the game, as well as creating a beautiful pattern that tells a story.
A Wimbledon tradition, Strawberries with cream and bubbles all around.
A winning combination, the tradition of eating strawberries and cream is believed to be started by Thomas Wolsey, a powerful figure in the court of King Henry VIII who served strawberries and cream at a banquet in 1509. Thomas’s palace had a tennis court, where staff also served strawberries and cream to spectators, it is thought that this is the reason why we associate Wimbledon with the dish.
It was important to illustrate this loved tradition into the design of our scarves to highlight the importance of a 400 year old tradition that has been passed down generations. On average 10,000 litres of cream and 28,000 kg of strawberries are eaten at the tournament each year, according to the official Wimbledon website!
Champagne is an essential part of Wimbledon, with a whopping 25,000 bottles cracked open at Wimbledon every year. Champagne bottles have been incorporated into the design of the Play for Love collection to add a sense of fun and celebration.
Sporty audience
The scarf illustrates silhouettes in the shape of people to represent the importance of crowd participation at Wimbledon, their spirit truly brings the game alive. The fans play a very important role at Wimbledon, without their emotion and support the players would be unable to reach such great heights, the audience are a positive presence on the court. We have used bright colours in the design of the audience to illustrate this passion and energy, as well as to depict their stylish appearance.
Road to Wimbledon
Road to Wimbledon is the biggest junior tournament in British tennis and gives all under 14 players the opportunity to train and progress to the world famous grass courts at Wimbledon. Local clubs, parks and schools are encouraged to enter and hold tournaments for their pupils rated between 10.2 and 7.1. For stronger rated players (rated 6.2 or higher) there is the Road to Wimbledon International event which players can enter directly.
Since 2014, the Road to Wimbledon has grown as a global initiative, promoting grass court tennis in India, China, Hong Kong China and Japan and providing youngsters with the chance to play at the historic venue, Wimbledon. In 2019, the Road to Wimbledon returned to India for a sixth straight year, staging Finals qualifying events in Delhi and Chandigarh.
The tennis legend, Vijay Amritraj was in Delhi as part of the Rolex Testimonee, a group of achievers associated with the watch brand, which is Wimbledon’s official timekeeper. Although he hung up his racket many years ago his association with tennis remains as strong as ever, as does his association with the Road to Wimbledon programme. He is only the second Indian to ever break into the world’s top-20 in singles, and remains the strongest Indian voice on the international tour.