FILA taps Brandon Maxwell to serve up tennis fashion collection – WWD

What happens when a high-end ready-to-wear designer with a deep tennis and athletic design heritage joins an Italian heritage brand? You turn a lot of heads – on and off the courts.

Released just in time for this year’s Finals Grand Slam, FILA has tapped Brandon Maxwell, founder and creative director of Brandon Maxwell’s luxury women’s RTW label, as a guest designer.

FILA presents a women’s tennis range by Brandon Maxwell and this marks Maxwell’s first foray into tennis apparel. FILA by Brandon Maxwell “Combines FILA’s strong Italian heritage and innovative legacy of athletic design with a naturally preppy and American aesthetic from Brandon.

FILA by Brandon Maxwell describes FILA as a collection of classic FILA tennis silhouettes mixed with staples of the Maxwell aesthetic. “Fila’s signature navy and archival green appear alongside a combination of pink and red among the designer’s primary colors,” the brand notes. “The line features artistic and attention-grabbing details, perfectly placed charms and unexpected executions, such as a classic polo shirt with a curve.”

In the new issue of Head to Toe, Shannon Aducci, Style Director of Footwear News, and Alex Badia, Style Director of WWD, Badia said, “What I love about this collaboration is an American designer like Brandon Maxwell Young, collaborating with an Italian brand and reimagining heritage tennis styles for a new generation.

Aducci said Maxwell has been exploring what it means to be a contemporary American sportswear designer and said, “The partnership with FILA will really up the game for the legendary Maxwell American prep game.”

According to FILA, the 21-piece range includes both staple styles and versatile options that easily transition off the court. Featured dress designs include a pink/navy cut out cami style and a black embellished runner back dress. 

FILA also says that an asymmetric skirt in both navy/green and white, featuring a sheer midriff cutout and removable spaghetti straps for a one-shoulder option, will be included in the collection. Among the popular styles in the collection is the pink organza coat detachable skirt.

“This lightweight design includes a two-way detachable zipper at the waist, with a zip-off bottom that allows for both cropped and long options,” said the brand. “Additional key items include a polo and tank collection, designed as two separate pieces to take wearers from tennis to off the court.”

For the final Grand Slam of the season, FILA-sponsored players, Karolina Pliskova and Shelby Rogers, will wear the set on the court in New York City.

The collection will drop at FILA.com, BrandonMaxwellOnline.com and BANDIER.com and select BANDIER stores beginning August 29th. The price points range from $65 for sportswear to $165 for an organza coat.