Fila
Fila is the leading Italian brand in in the sportswear sector. Created at the start of the 20th century, Fila has become the go-to label for sports professionals all over the world, offering a high degree of comfort and quality.
Fila’s story began back in 1911, when the Fila brothers opened up a factory producing men’s and women’s underwear The brothers’ designs soon caught the public imagination, particularly for their top quality fabrics, which were the result of a long and innovative manufacturing process.
The real turning point came in 1974, after fifty years in business, when Enrico Frachey become the creative head of the Italian company. In only five years, he revolutionized the brand’s organization and production.
The underwear label known as Maybe was transformed into Fila, a leading Italian fashion house for sports and technical wear. The iconic red ‘F’ logo soon became famous in the world of sports. Fila began making special clothing for tennis players and later expanded its range to cover all kinds of sport, from basketball to jogging.
As a leading Italian sportswear company, Fila dresses many famous names. Tennis champions Björn Borg and Guillermo Vilas were responsible for bringing the label to world-wide attention. Their new tennis outfits differed radically from the classical whites and the Fila style was soon adopted by sportsmen the world over. The label also started being worn by non-sports people as hip, stylish streetwear.
The partnership between the Italian sports brand and the world of tennis grew so strong that in 2008 Fila signed an agreement with the Wimbledon championship to produce a line of sportswear and shoes bearing the Wimbledon logo, which was launched that same year.
Fila fans also include talented NBA rookies Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse, who wore Fila shoes in most of their winning matches, bringing the Italian sportswear fashion house into the basketball arena.
Fila lines include clothing for skiers and snowboarders and have been worn by some of the sports big names like Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni. When Reinhold Messner climbed Mount Everest for the first time without supplemental oxygen, he was wearing Fila’s highly specialized technical clothing. The brand also makes footwear and active wear designed for running, cross training, hiking, volleyball and soccer. Italian yachts carry the Fila logo as do the Ducati and the Ferrari racing teams.
Starting as a family business, the Fila brand has since been through several changes. It was first acquired by the Gemina Holdings, one of the main groups on the Italian market. It was then sold and divided in two. One holding is Fila Korea, which is responsible for the production and distribution of the red ‘F’ logo all over the world, especially in the Far East market, while Fila Europe has the control of the European side.
Fila’s current global turnover exceeds 200 million Euros and it has flagships stores and selling points all over the world, as well as a clientele that ranges from the man, woman and child in the street to some of the world’s most famous sports champions.
Fila Spa
Viale Cesare Battisti, 26
13051 Biella, Italy
Tel: [+39] 01 535061
Web: Fila Italian Sportswear Brand