The British heritage brand Christy has been designing the official Championships towels since 1988. Founded in 1850 as a cotton mill in Manchester, Christy also supplies towels to Britain’s royal family.
In 2006, Indian textile giant Welspun acquired Christy. Production remained in Britain for several years before moving to Welspun’s facility in Vapi, Gujarat, after 2010.
Christy’s design process for each year’s towel begins about 18 months prior to the tournament, as the team analyzes color trends before finalizing a design. Each towel generally takes around seven days to produce.
The standard towel features Wimbledon’s iconic green and purple, while a strawberry-themed version celebrates the tournament’s strawberries and cream tradition. Some years, Christy introduces a new shade to complement the classic colors.
Why almost nobody returns these towels
Officially, players are required to return their towels after each match, but most do not comply. Thousands of towels leave the All England Club annually, often ending up in players’ kit bags, being handed to ball boys and girls, or tossed into the audience.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner cools down with a towel during a break in his semi-final match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
However, only a small percentage is returned during the event, with reports from the 2025 Championships indicating approximately 500 towels go missing each day.
Meet the “Wimbledon towel thief”
Poland’s Iga Świątek has garnered attention for this habit, earning the nickname “Wimbledon towel thief.” She mentioned that her friends and family expect her to bring towels home after each Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are also among the players known to keep their towels.
The towels are crafted using a short-loop terry weave and premium cotton yarn, resulting in a soft, absorbent, and quick-drying product that withstands repeated washing. Christy also offers an heirloom line that transforms towels from past Championships into tote bags and robes; these sold out quickly upon release. The standard towel is available online for around £40 (approximately ₹5,114).
Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic uses an ice towel during a changeover in the women’s singles final against Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London.
Sustainability is also part of the narrative. The towels carry Oeko-Tex’s “Made in Green” certification, and Christy sources its cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative. The brand has replaced plastic packaging with FSC-certified cardboard.
Additionally, the Wimbledon Foundation has committed £1.2 million over three years to WaterAid to enhance clean water access in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Myanmar. Welspun asserts that its Anjar plant no longer utilizes freshwater due to the installation of a sewage treatment system there.
Bollywood beats and kulfi: Wimbledon’s other India moment
The connection between Wimbledon and India extends beyond towels. The tournament’s Instagram account has featured tennis highlights accompanied by Bollywood music, and the All England Club has collaborated with Delhi’s Kuremal Kulfi to create a limited-edition strawberries-and-cream kulfi — marking its first partnership of this kind.
