Fila hads tapped Colombian-born, France-based designer Haider Ackermann for its latest collaboration. Working off of an all white color palette, the capsule includes body conscious leggings, tops and dresses as well as loosely tailored silhouettes. Debuted with a runway presentation staged in a warehouse in Manchester, England, the assortment of men’s and women’s apparel and footwear perfectly reflects Ackermann’s industrial chic aesthetic.
Commenting on the effort in an exchange with WWD, Ackermann said, “We look at the streets, it’s all about sportswear, it’s not something unknown for us, we all do it. I wanted to embrace youth and I wanted to embrace the energy. We went through some dark times recently so it’s nice to bring all this happiness, joy and an embracing life and that’s what I wanted to do. And this [is] what the kids are doing, they are stepping on the barricade.”
Meanwhile, Fila has let it be known it’s on the hunt for a creative director, a roll that was offered to Ackermann, who turned it down. Noting a wish to elevate Fila, marketing director Luca Bertolino explained, “We want to create a consistent, elevated image of Fila globally, which currently varies across markets. We’re looking for someone that has the credibility that we need to stay consistently in the highest tiers of distribution. We want to be in the stores where Nike exclusive products are.”
He added, “We’re really looking into hiring someone that can recreate and refresh that brand image through products that were created 50 years ago that were so defining for the era, for the market and for the brand. We’re going to do some social media listening over the next few days to understand what people think. “
Fila and Haider Ackermann’s collection launches at retail in spring 2023.
