Philippine Tatler gets the exclusive on athleisure brand FILA’s first ever participation at the Milan Fashion Week
FILA traces its roots to Biella, a small town in northern Italy, where two brothers set up shop in hopes of producing high-quality textiles for the locals. This business was later established as a knitwear manufacturing company, known not just in Biella, but in various other areas in Italy. Enrico Frachey was later brought in as managing director; his vision and resourcefulness the catalysts behind FILA’s evolution into a global sportswear brand. The 20th century ushered in a burgeoning interest in sport, which encouraged Frachey to have the company go the activewear route. He brought in designer Pier Luigi Rolando and engineering director Alessandro Galliano and together, they set to work on creating fabric that would perfectly complement the athlete and provide the feel of complete freedom.
FILA’s premiere outerwear collection debuted in 1972. The innovative nature of Rolando’s work, which utilised a mix of fabrics in novel ways, was well-met. It was the iconic White Line Collection (which came out the following year), with its bold mix of red, white, and navy, that did away with the all-white trend so commonplace in tennis apparel at the time. This would put FILA on the map, making it known as the brand that caters not just to the athlete but the cosmopolitan individual.
Last year, FILA accomplished a new feat by unveiling its spring/summer 2019 pieces—its first-ever standalone collection—on the runway at Milan Fashion Week. Though very much associated with activewear due to its origins, the brand imbued its designs with an urban feel, making for an overall sophisticated look. Creative directors Antonino Ingrasciotta and Josef Graesel revisited FILA’s extensive archives to get to the very core of the brand’s essence, reinterpreting their discoveries in a contemporary style. A unique fusion of sport and fashion, each piece—many of which were heavily inspired by tennis, swimming, basketball, and sailing—that came down the runway was a callback to a key moment of FILA history.