The story traces how Wimbledon’s iconic towels, designed annually by British brand Christy since 1987, are now produced in Vapi, Gujarat under Indian textile giant Welspun. It explores the towels’ evolution from practical courtside accessory to coveted collectible, highlighting India’s role in global textiles, advanced manufacturing, and the heritage partnership behind one of sport’s most recognisable keepsakes.
For thirty nine years, British textile brand Christy has designed the official towel of the Wimbledon Championship. Officially beginning in 1987, the collaboration has introduced a new design every single year since. Perhaps one of the international sport’s most recognisable objects, the Wimbledon towel adds a vibrant touch to the Centre Court at London's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTCC).
Over these past four decades, what primarily began as a practical item has grown into something much bigger. While players at Wimbledon are asked to return their towels to the club, an estimated 2,500 towels disappear from the tournament grounds every year. Slipped into gear bags, handed to ball boys, or flung into the crowd in the spontaneous moment of victorious celebration. Each missing towel shows that everybody wants a piece of it.
However, behind this quintessentially British tradition sits a long-standing partnership. Welspun, the Indian textile giant and guardian of Christy, orchestrates this annual collaboration of luxury, heritage, and innovation — and while the towels might be used on the grassy courts of Wimbledon, they are produced in a faraway land, in the city of Vapi in Gujarat. Follow us as we take you through the history behind this legendary collaboration and what the latest 2026 collection has in store.
Christy’s history dates back to 1850, when a cotton mill in Manchester began weaving the softest bath towels the world had ever seen, famously crafting their very first towel for the Queen of England. Ever since, the brand has been associated with an inherently British style that has sustained through time. Originally, these renowned towels were manufactured in the Greater Manchester area in the UK. In July 2006, Welspun India acquired the heritage towel brand, following which production was relocated to Vapi, Gujarat in 2010.
Vapi’s advanced manufacturing capabilities transformed how these towels were made, proving that Indian craftsmanship and production technology could effortlessly meet the uncompromising standards of the Championship. This geographic move also highlighted the prominent role played by India’s textile industry across sourcing, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Textiles have been one of India’s oldest and fastest growing industries. As one of the world’s largest cotton producers, India offers an extensive raw material base and centuries of traditional expertise across different regional practices.
Designed each year in Christy’s Manchester studio, the Wimbledon towel is engineered to withstand the rigours of a Grand Slam tournament. The towels are made with fine cotton yarn for maximum absorption, while their signature short-looped terry construction delivers a soft, fast-drying handle and creates a denser, smoother surface. These fabric and technical details render the towels with an exceptional depth that is maintained even after repeated washes.
Moreover, in a move towards sustainability, the towels bear the Oeko-Tex MADE IN GREEN certification and utilise cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative. Further, the parent company Welspun has eliminated all unnecessary plastic packaging, opting for FSC-certified card packaging instead. Their commitment also extends to global communities, pledging financial aid to fund clean water initiatives in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Myanmar.Simultaneously, Welspun has also achieved complete independence from freshwater usage at its manufacturing plant in Anjar, Gujarat, utilising an advanced sewage treatment plant to eliminate freshwater consumption entirely.
Between Manchester and Vapi, Christy’s iconic Wimbledon towel has become a material archive of every annual championship, each design bookmarking a moment in history. The inaugural batch of towels released in 1987, were designed in alternating stripes of deep green and purple with no explicit branding on the face. The 1997 towel marked a notable change in style with the addition of the official Wimbledon logo and tournament dates as prominent design features, establishing a template for future designs. These two additions turned the practical towel into a cultural object, a collectible worth keeping. Recently, on the hundredth anniversary of the Centre Court in 2022, Christy designed a detailed architectural plan of the court onto a large state-ment sized towel which could be folded and packed into its own fabric carry bag to commemorate the event.
The 2026 Collection effortlessly moves from the court to the home. The colour of the year is a vibrant and playful Strawberry shade. The towel come in four categories: Wimbledon Championships towel for on-court use sports towels that fit perfectly in kit bags, styled in classic white with a striking strawberry band, and face cloths and guest towels that bring the spirit of the game into everyday living spaces.
For the first time in history, Christy has also released a Championships Mini Collection for children who are fans of the tournament or might not have even picked up a racquet yet. You can choose between the Future Champions edition, featuring embroidered rackets on the hood or Pip the Straw, a playful character rooted in this season’s signature colour.
The Heirloom Collection: Embodying the philosophy that the most responsible thing a textile can do is last, the Heirloom Collection gives previous seasons’ towel a considered second life by upcyling leftover cotton terry towels into tote bags, robes, and cosmetic pouches, bridging the gap between sporting history and sustainable luxury.