By Jamie Carvalho | June 2026
Two Years of Playing in the Wrong Kit
I came to padel late – I was thirty-four when a colleague dragged me to a court for the first time, and within three sessions I was completely hooked. The sport suits me: fast enough to be exciting, technical enough to reward practice, social enough that I actually look forward to it rather than treating it as exercise I have to do.
What I was wearing on court, however, had not kept pace with my enthusiasm for the game. I had been playing in whatever synthetic sportswear I already owned – the kind of moisture-wicking polyester tops that every sports brand produces in bulk and that all feel roughly the same: slightly plasticky against the skin, prone to holding odour after a few sessions, and looking increasingly tired after a few months of washing.
I had never thought much about it. Sportswear is sportswear, I assumed. Then I started noticing what some of the better players at my club were wearing, and I started paying attention to brands I had not come across before. Apres Padel kept coming up – not because anyone was making a big deal of it, but because the kit looked different. More considered. Less like a generic sports catalogue and more like something someone had actually thought about.
Why the Tequila Slice Top
I looked up Apres Padel and immediately understood the appeal. The brand is built around organic cotton rather than synthetic performance fabrics, which is a deliberate and interesting choice for sportswear. The argument is that organic cotton – lightweight, soft, breathable – performs better in real-world court conditions than the synthetic alternatives that dominate the market, and that it does so without the environmental cost of petroleum-based fabrics.
The Apres Padel Tequila Slice Men's Sleeveless Padel Top stood out specifically for several reasons:
- Organic cotton construction – lightweight and soft against the skin, which I had not previously associated with sportswear
- Relaxed athletic fit – not the compression-fit look that dominates padel courts; something that moves well without being restrictive or clingy
- Eco printing with water-based inks – the graphic is part of the product's identity and I wanted to know it was produced responsibly
- Made in an audited renewable-energy facility – the supply chain transparency mattered to me; I had been trying to make more considered choices about what I buy and wear
- The design itself – the Tequila Slice graphic is genuinely good; playful without being loud, the kind of thing that works on court and off it
I found it in the Activewear collection at ALTOE and ordered it the same week.
First Session: The Organic Cotton Difference
I wore it for the first time on a Tuesday evening session – two hours of doubles, warm evening, the kind of conditions where synthetic sportswear starts to feel unpleasant about forty minutes in. The organic cotton felt immediately different: softer against the skin, more breathable, and without the slightly clammy quality that polyester develops as you warm up.
The relaxed fit was exactly right for padel. The sport involves a lot of lateral movement, reaching, and rotation, and a top that moves with you rather than pulling or bunching makes a genuine difference to how freely you can play. I was not thinking about what I was wearing, which is the ideal outcome – the kit disappeared and I could focus on the game.
After the session, in the bar, I got two comments on the top. Both from people who wanted to know where I had got it. That has not happened with any other piece of sportswear I have owned.
Three Months of Regular Court Use
I play twice a week. The Tequila Slice top has been through approximately twenty-five sessions and the same number of washes. The organic cotton has not shrunk, has not pilled, and has not developed the odour-retention problem that eventually affects all my synthetic tops regardless of how carefully I wash them. The graphic is as crisp as it was when the top arrived. The fit is unchanged.
More than the durability, though: I genuinely enjoy wearing it. That sounds like a low bar for a piece of clothing, but I had not previously thought of my sportswear as something I enjoyed – it was functional kit, nothing more. The Apres Padel top is something I look forward to putting on, which has had the unexpected side effect of making me look forward to sessions even more than I already did.
I have since ordered the court shorts from the same brand. The consistency of the approach – organic cotton, considered design, responsible production – is something I want to support, and the quality justifies it entirely.
For Anyone Still Playing in Generic Synthetic Kit
I understand the inertia. Sportswear is sportswear, I used to think. It is not. The material you wear on court affects how you feel during play, how you feel after play, and how long the kit lasts. Organic cotton is not a compromise on performance – it is a different and, in my experience, better approach to what performance actually means in a sport like padel.
The Apres Padel Tequila Slice top is the best piece of sportswear I own. I did not expect to be saying that about a sleeveless cotton top, but here we are.
Shop the Apres Padel Tequila Slice Top
Find the Apres Padel Tequila Slice Men's Sleeveless Padel Top at ALTOE and browse our related collections:
Jamie Carvalho is a product manager, enthusiastic but self-aware padel player, and recent convert to organic cotton sportswear based in London. He plays twice a week, loses more than he wins, and has excellent taste in court shirts.
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