ACE'98, from the tennis courts to your feet.
Game over. Laure, founder of Zèta, watches her father pick up the worn balls, then throw them away. A simple, almost insignificant gesture.
But a question arises: what if these balls could live differently?
From this intuition was born a bold idea: to integrate recycled tennis balls into a pair of sneakers.
ACE'98 pays tribute to the world of tennis and everything it embodies. A sneaker that celebrates both the past and the future, the gesture, the memory, and this precious link between generations.
The legacy of 1998, available in 5 shades.
ACE'98 Sneakers
A legacy from the past
Sole: Recycled rubber incorporating recycled tennis balls.
Upper: flexible corn-based material
Logo: textured lettering made from recycled tennis balls.
Insole: 100% recycled foam for optimal cushioning from the very first steps.
ACE'98 accessories, attention to detail.
ACE'98 Accessories
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
Your questions about the ACE'98 collection
Why ACE'98?
This name pays tribute to the Trophée des Légendes (Legends Trophy) created in 1998. It is a nod to the golden age of tennis and the passing down of knowledge between generations on the court. The past has never been so ahead of its time.
Where do tennis balls come from?
Our balls are collected from partner tennis clubs in Porto, just a few kilometers 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...








