Fila+ has finally landed. Having announced the brand new, experimental line back in January and naming Palace Skateboards founder Lev Tanju as creative director, the brand unveiled a preview of the collection to come at Milan Fashion Week earlier today.
What was shown was made up of elevated sportswear classics: think sport shorts, tracksuits and preppy shirting in conjunction with more sophisticated items like suiting and lush knitwear. Evoking a “sense of heightened everydayness”, Tanju was inspired by the people who work on the sailboats used at Azzurra regattas. The result was an intersectional offering featuring outerwear with reflective F-Box logos, sporty boat shoes, acetate tracksuits and tailoring crafted from technical fabrics. Describing the SS25 collection as an “interplay of different iconographies, all linked to the multifaceted Fila history” – which spans tennis (where it saw its start), basketball, ski wear and even hip hop style, the designer mixed the more sailor-like looks with tennis attire and pieces inspired by 1990s Italian football.
The designer reinterpreted classics with a fresh perspective, applying denim to boots while the Fila flags and F-Box motifs became all-over prints. There were healthy doses of industrial gear and uniform elements too, all in acid hues that danced amidst washed purples, dark oranges and military greens.
Focussing in on the “reality of doing and making”, the lookbook and soon-to-arrive campaign shot by Ryan McGinley, comes to life through a wide variety of people as its models; “makers of all ages and walks of life, coming as they are”.
Marked by Tanju’s dexterous ability to read sports through a fashion lens, this new chapter for the Italian sportswear giant is ushering an exciting new era for active dressing.
Photography by Ryan McGinley. With the campaign soon to be unveiled, Tanju’s debut Fila+ collection will arrive in stores at the end of August in Antonia, Dover Street Market, Luisaviaroma, Nubian, Selfridges, The Webster and more.
