Laura Ward is the Founder and Creative Director of EXEAT, the world’s leading luxury British tennis apparel brand for women. EXEAT launched in 2021 and are famous for creating award-winning, sustainable, ultra-chic pieces worn by the planet’s most stylish players. Tennis is the fastest-growing sport in the world and with EXEAT being England’s most exported luxury court wear brand, it’s an exciting wave to ride.  We’re proud to fly the flag for sustainability and British craftsmanship globally.

How did the idea come to you for the company?

I’d moved to Paris with work and joined a tennis club to socialise, polish up my French and keep fit. I wanted to look the part so went shopping for some fancy new kit but all I found was the same old brands doing the same old homogenised, unflattering silhouettes in poor quality fabric. It was totally at odds with Tennis’ rich sartorial heritage so I decided to create EXEAT to fill that gap: A world-class, design-led premium tennis apparel brand for stylish female players who expect a whole lot more than a ‘four-way-stretch’ when it comes to their court wear.

You’ve achieved so much in your career. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I’ve been given a lot of advice, but the longer you spend in the business, the more you realise how important it is to get the basics right and just keep repeating them: Always back yourself; Be careful with money; Treat everyone with respect; Pay close attention to any contracts you sign because things change; Sales over brand; Quality over quantity; Marketing is everything; Only good, kind people – no matter how dazzling a CV is; Stay consistent.

Can you share an overview with us of what next year looks like?

There are 50 million female players globally, but just 2.5 million in the UK so we are continually expanding into new markets. This year we became the #1 luxury British court wear brand in the USA and our next move in 2023 is Asia namely South Korea, Japan and China.

How do you switch off?

Aside from putting my phone down and being present with my family I find playing sport in nature (tennis, cycling, rowing and hiking) is an immediate circuit breaker. I also do a lot of mentoring with young founders both through my foundation 19hoursfoundation.com and UCL’s fantastic enterprise incubator.  I find time spent with dynamic, energetic entrepreneurs with real passion for their idea is a guaranteed mood booster.

For more information visit exeatweekend.com and follow them on Instagram @exeatweekend.