ACE'98, from the courts to your feet.

Game over. Laure, founder of Zèta, watches her father pick up the worn balls, then throw them away. A simple gesture, almost unremarkable.

But one question lingers: what if these balls could have a second life?


From this intuition, a bold idea was born: integrating recycled tennis balls into a pair of sneakers.

ACE'98 pays tribute to the world of tennis and everything it conveys. A sneaker that celebrates both past and future, the gesture, the memory, and that precious bond between generations.

The legacy of 1998, available in 5 shades.

Inspired by the 1998 Legends Trophy, the ACE'98 sneaker is our homage to court culture. With its low-cut silhouette, vintage tones, and thick sole, it embodies the codes of the 90s.

ACE'98 Sneakers

A legacy from the past

The ACE'98 features a low silhouette, vintage tones, and a thick sole.

Its sole and logo incorporate used tennis balls recovered from clubs in Porto. They are ground up and injected into recycled rubber to give a second life to this material from the tennis court.

Sole: Recycled rubber incorporating recycled tennis balls.

Upper: soft material made from maize

Logo: textured lettering made from recycled tennis balls.

Insole: 100% recycled foam for optimal cushioning from the very first step.

ACE'98 accessories, attention to detail.

To extend the 90s aesthetic of the ACE'98 sneaker, we've designed complementary pieces that make all the difference. A cap with clean lines, a heavy cotton t-shirt, and ribbed cotton socks complete the look.

ACE'98 accessories

Made from organic cotton, this t-shirt boasts a heavy weight for a perfect drape. Kind to the planet and your skin, it's the basic that finally delivers.
Made from upcycled fabric offcuts, this cap leaves nothing to chance. Its thick cotton ensures it holds its shape season after season.
Knitted in Portugal from organic cotton. Reinforced at stress points, they retain their shape wash after wash. Simple, strong, and designed to last.

14 million balls discarded per year.

On a court, a tennis ball lasts only a few hours. For professionals, it's even replaced after just thirty minutes of play! Yet, its environmental impact lasts for centuries.

In France alone, 14 million balls are thrown away every year. Almost all of them end up in landfills or incinerators.

When you consider that a single ball takes 400 years to decompose while releasing methane and microplastics into nature, the reality is stark.

Instead of letting this continue, we decided to change the game by collecting used tennis balls to integrate them into our sneakers!

The ball is in our court.


HOW THEY WEAR IT

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Your questions about the ACE'98 collection

Where do tennis balls come from?

Our balls are collected from partner tennis clubs in Porto, just a few kilometres from our workshops!

How are the balls integrated into the sneaker?

The balls (rubber and felt) are ground into fine granules, then mixed with recycled rubber. This mixture is then hot-pressed in a mold to form the sole.

Why did you choose to recycle tennis balls?

A tennis ball is only used for a few hours, but it takes 400 years to decompose. In France, 14 million balls are discarded each year due to a lack of recycling channels. We have therefore chosen to collect them and integrate them directly into our sneakers!

Where are the items in the ACE'98 collection made?

The collection is made in Portugal, in the Porto region, in order to remain as close as possible to the clubs where we collect the balls. Only the cap is made in France, in Montpellier.

Is this a limited edition?

This is not a limited edition per se, but we have chosen to produce this first series in limited quantities. Stocks are therefore limited for this launch. If a model appeals to you, we advise you not to wait too long, as this first wave of production could sell out quite quickly...