Leopoldo Gutierrez was undeniably surprised last summer when a former world No. 1 tennis champion got in touch with him completely out of the blue.
"She was shopping in a store in London, she bought our clothing because she liked our look and she kept buying more and more and more. Eventually she contacted us," said Gutierrez, who launched his Vancouver-made athletic clothing line, called Tonic, in 2004.
Tonic had a famous fan. And when Martina Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam champion who spent more than 200 weeks as the best women's tennis pro on the planet, called Gutierrez, she acknowledged it wasn't something that happens every day.
"This is the first time I think the athlete walked up to the company and not the other way," Hingis told the Courier Wednesday on her first visit to Vancouver. "I really loved the clothing."
Tonic Tennis-designed by local talent Jenny Grad and manufactured on the East Side-was originally conceived for yoga but now targets multi-disciplinarian "athletics and urban living." The small company sources fabric from Montreal and is incorporating merino wool into a luxury line of high-end tennis apparel that is the focus of the collaboration with Hingis.
Gutierrez emphasized their business relationship is about collaboration.
"It's not an endorsement at all," he said, "It's a partnership. An endorsement is, I give my name and I get money. In a partnership, she is totally involved in the creation of the design. She really understands the functionality of the clothing and what is needed in tennis."
Tonic Tennis, he said, "is an exclusive line which will not be available for everybody."
Hingis said her priorities are ensuring the clothing is functional, comfortable and stylish. "Around the shoulders and the back, this is where you have to feel comfortable with your stroke. It can't be restricting. If you're stretched everywhere, you still have to perform."
Proceeds from the line, which launches for spring 2012, will eventually sustain a scholarship for junior players who have the talent but not the means to pursue a professional career.
The 30-year-old Swiss athlete discovered Tonic while in London competing on the BBC reality television series Strictly Come Dancing. She withdrew from the international tennis tour in 2004 at age 22 because of injuries. She mounted a comeback only to retire in 2007 after testing positive for cocaine. She vehemently denied the charges, which she described as "monstrous."
Her acumen as a tennis champion is undeniable, however, and Gutierrez said the values and aspirations of his company align with those of Hingis. From that first unexpected phone call, he said, "We had chemistry."
Twitter: @MHStewart
