More than 24 million pounds of polyester tennis strings are discarded in the United States annually. These discarded strings remain in landfills with a five century lifetime.
An inspiration to turn these discarded tennis strings into high-performance tennis clothing came from three young men in Boston, establishing the brand, LET, with their debut product, the Core V.0 Shirt.
About LET
LET is a tennis performance wear brand that transforms discarded tennis strings into clothing.
Circularity is at the core of LET, the name comes from the tennis term “let” which refers to the replay of a serve or point during a game. LET collects discarded polyester tennis strings from 276 partners across more than 38 states. The strings are sorted by colorway, to reduce the need for garment dyeing, and then transformed into tangible performance tennis wear.
Competing at one of the highest levels in the sport, all three co-founders played Division 1 collegiate tennis for Boston University.
‘Made by the game, for the game’
More than circularity, LET highlights itself as a brand rooted in tennis performance, culture, and community. Its built by those who know and love the game. Co-founders Jakob Esterowitz (21), Jonah Dickson (23), and Ouwen Lu (27) tested the shirts for over 400 hours:
“This first release is important because it makes the concept tangible,” said Jonah Dickson, Co-Founder of LET. “Players can now wear something that directly represents the tennis ecosystem and where the sport is heading. Our brand is truly made by the game, for the game.”
Get LET
There are several ways to get involved with LET. You can shop the first collection of the “Core V.0 Shirt” online. The unisex shirt comes in three colors: chalk white, court black, and true navy.
In addition to exploring the debut collection, players can discover 276 tennis facilities partnering with LET for string collection. They are in 39 states and counting, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut. Interested members can also send polyester string via mail or apply to become a collection partner.
“At its core, LET is about building something that feels authentic to tennis,” said Jakob
Esterowitz, Co-Founder of LET. “We grew up around courts, stringers, tournaments, and tennis
shops and we saw firsthand how much material gets discarded every day. The goal was never
just to make apparel. It was to create a system where the sport itself becomes part of the
product.”
LET is available to shop online and at a select number of partner locations.
