(FILA Luxembourg S.à r.l.) - FILA is celebrating its 110th Anniversary in 2021. To honor its iconic heritage, the brand is launching a special collaboration with stylist, creative director and founder of The Perfect Magazine, Katie Grand. The partnership will highlight the history, the spirit and the future of Italy’s first-ever global sportswear brand.
A creative mindset and approach have shaped FILA since it began as a family business in 1911 in Coggiola, a small town nestled in the Piedmont Hills. Initially producing fabrics and later high-end underwear, FILA transformed into a global brand. Enrico Frachey was the managing director, and his creativity and resourcefulness helped to propel that vision.
The brand’s sportswear evolution began in 1972. FILA was the first to bring color to the tennis court with the White Line collection, aesthetically surprising for its functional design and unconventional use of color. It sparked a sensation among athletes and fans alike, followed by innovation from FILA in mountaineering, skiing, water sports, basketball, golf, and motorsports. The brand always married a bold sense of style with the mandatory ease of movement, which is what made FILA appealing for playing sports and living life in total freedom.
FILA had special relationships with athletes across these disciplines, each pioneers and game-changers in their sport and beyond. Together with Bjӧrn Borg, FILA helped to change the way the world looked at fashion on the tennis court. In 1978, Reinhold Messner reached the summit of Mount Everest wearing high-tech FILA mountain gear. FILA descended the slopes with Ingemar Stenmark in his race for the 1976 Garmisch Cup, skied on the snow-covered Italian slopes with Alberto Tomba and accompanied Monica Seles and Grant Hill in their tennis and basketball victories.
FILA teamed up with Grand, British stylist and cultural curator, to reinterpret a series of classic styles from the FILA archives housed in Biella, Italy. Grand explored FILA’s history, focusing on a variety of themes including Tennis, Mountain, Water, Athletics, Basketball, Golf, and Motorsports. The pieces she edited, chosen for historical value and beauty, have been reissued and redesigned with a modern update. The resulting 110th Anniversary Collection will be presented with a special video, set to debut during Milano Fashion Week in February.
“FILA’s spirit of innovation has guided the brand for the last 110 years,” said Gene Yoon, Global Chairman at FILA. “Throughout our storied history, FILA’s evolution has been fueled by creativity in design, performance and style. The brand has always stood out for being bold, authentic and fearless. Our rich heritage includes unforgettable moments, epic victories and legendary individuals who transformed sports and fashion.”
Yoon continued, “We will celebrate this milestone and FILA’s worldwide accomplishments throughout the year, beginning with a partnership with Katie Grand. This project will honor our legacy while modernizing iconic pieces for all generations of FILA fans.”
“FILA is one of most enduring sportswear brands in existence and their archive is phenomenal, and extensive,” said Katie Grand. “With shoes dating back to the Eighties and the most amazing books full of illustrations by the designer Pierluigi Rolando - shelf upon shelf of them - it was super inspiring. I started out with seven sports categories that FILA is known for - tennis, motocross, basketball, golf, swim, mountain and aerobic – and put archive pieces into themes. Then we worked on making the fit more contemporary. It’s a special collection to celebrate FILA’s 110th birthday.”
FILA will also launch a 110th Anniversary microsite. The interactive site will further examine the brand’s influence in sport and style, highlighting the historical context of its most notable moments and creations. Visitors will embark on a journey, with a timeline that traces the evolution of the brand and allows to them relive iconic events and timeless fashions through a curated selection of photos and video footage. From the birth of the F-Box logo to Katie Grand’s 110th Anniversary Collection, FILA fans worldwide can truly experience the brand from its archives to its future.