HEAD and Bedwin's Masashi Watanabe Unite for New Line "A LINE" | HEAD

HEAD

Masashi Watanabe's New Line, "A LINE," Launches Globally from Japan

HEAD, a world-leading high-tech sports brand, will launch its new "A LINE" collection in Japan from Spring/Summer 2017. This collection, infused with the DNA of Japanese street fashion through a collaboration with Masashi Watanabe, director of BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS, is set to be released not only in Japan but also worldwide.

Text by SHINGO Shimojo

Arthur Ashe Becomes the New Icon

HEAD is a world-leading high-tech sports brand, available in over 80 countries across Europe and America, and cherished by sports enthusiasts of all levels. Founded in 1950 as a ski brand by Howard Head, the inventor of the metal ski, HEAD has been at the forefront of sporting innovation, developing the world's first aluminum tennis racket in 1969. The brand continues to earn the trust of athletes, notably through its equipment endorsement deal with tennis player Novak Djokovic signed in 2009.

"A LINE" is a new collection produced by Masashi Watanabe, director of BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS, one of Japan's leading brands. The icon chosen for this line is Arthur Ashe, the tennis player who, as the first African American to achieve world number one status, won the 1968 US Open and the 1975 Wimbledon Championships, and was long revered as a member of the HEAD family. The collection is a tribute to his intelligence and courage in confronting global injustices, such as apartheid in South Africa, embodying his self-proclaimed identity as a "citizen of the world."

With tennis wear design as its core, the collection retains sporty functionality while adopting unique patterns and color palettes that make it instantly memorable. This is not merely playful; it reflects Arthur Ashe's attitude, his fight through sports for people to attain true freedom.

Scheduled for domestic release from Spring/Summer 2017.