From electric lighting to Futurism, from design to fashion, Milan has a special talent: imagining what will become familiar to everyone before anyone else. This time, the future takes the form of a pair of rings, the Champions’ Rings, which will be presented to the men’s and women’s winners of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1 for the first time in Premier Padel Tour history, drawing inspiration from the traditions of major American sports leagues, from the NBA to the NFL.
An innovation that does not change the rules, but introduces a new concept to padel: success is no longer simply celebrated; it becomes something to wear. Milan’s tournament, one of the nine P1 events – the elite tier of the world’s leading padel circuit – is a perfect fit for a city that knows how to turn the future into the present, moving fast in the pursuit of progress and innovation. Between 1910 and 1911, Umberto Boccioni painted ‘The City Rises’, a vision of a metropolis in constant transformation. Padel, and the Milan tournament in particular, share the same themes: speed, movement, reflexes and spectacle, all defining features of the Milan of the future imagined by Boccioni.
Milano Premier Padel has made innovation and firsts part of its identity. It was the first tournament to launch an interactive app allowing fans to stay connected with the action at the Allianz Cloud even when they are not there, through news, events and opportunities to meet the players. It was also the first to have an Instagram account dedicated to a Premier Padel tournament. And it was the first to use YourSeats360 technology, which allows ticket buyers to view their chosen seat virtually and select it before purchasing.
It was only fitting, then, that the tournament should embrace the idea – a brilliant one, from Lagati Padel Jewels – of creating the Champions’ Rings, adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds arranged to form a Duomo set against the Italian tricolour. “To create the Duomo at the centre of the ring, we used 48 diamonds in three different sizes, while the tricolour surrounding it was made with eight diamonds and the same number of rubies and emeralds,” explains Angela Lagati, owner of the company. It is a masterpiece of high jewellery. “In major international sports, the Championship Ring is a powerful symbol of victory, and we have reinterpreted it through the lens of Italian goldsmithing. These rings embody Milan, Italy, the tournament and its history”.
The stunning jewel also incorporates a clever technical detail. “Inside the ring, we have added two adjustable wings shaped like padel rackets. They allow the ring to fit fingers of different sizes, but they are also a small symbolic feature that brings padel right into the structure of the ring”.
A passion for padel, tradition, expertise in goldsmithing and creativity make up the perfect blend behind the Champions’ Rings. “This project is much more than a sponsorship partnership: it is an opportunity to bring 35 years of goldsmithing experience into a sport we love and show that a jewel can become part of the history of a sporting event”. After all, trophies are lifted into the air. Rings are taken home and worn. And Milan, once again, has found a different way to tell the story of the future.