New book ’Fila: Timelapse’ explores the sportswear brand’s past, present and future
Published by Rizzoli, ’Fila: Timelapse’ combines archival imagery, essays, poems and historic advertising for an unorthodox biography of the Italian sportswear brand best known for its links to tennis
’Timelapse’ is an apt name for a new Rizzoli-published book on Italian sportswear brand Fila, an unorthodox, era- and genre-shifting biography which spans over a century of design and innovation for sporting luminaries – from sailor Giovanni Soldini to tennis player Björn Borg, who first put the brand on the map in the 1970s.
The unique tome (available to pre-order from Waterstones, £65) was conceived by Italian journalist and fashion critic Angelo Flaccavento to ’tunnel both past and present into a single, forward-looking vision’. Alongside an introduction by Fendi menswear and accessories creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, the richly illustrated volume is art directed by Milanese creative director and graphic designer Francesco Valtolina of Mousse magazine.
’Fila: Timelapse’ published by Rizzoli
Fila was founded in Biella, Italy in 1911 by the brothers Ettore and Giansevero Fila, who originally sold sewing materials to the local Alpine community. Officially established as a brand in 1923, Fila expanded to cater further to the needs of those living in the Italian Alps, creating a range of products, from knitwear to underwear. It was in the 1970s, though, that Fila came to international prominence, signing a landmark deal with Swedish tennis player Björn Borg and outfitting him for some of his landmark victories (while also creating one of sport’s most enduring looks).
Borg adorns the cover of the new book, though those expecting a typical history of Fila should look elsewhere. Instead, Flaccavento weaves together a more unexpected tale, comprising both essays by authors Carlo Antonelli and Matteo Codignola, philosopher Emanuele Coccia, and researchers Marta Franceschini, Michele Galluzzo, and Lorenzo Ottone, alongside more abstract fiction and poetry inspired by Fila’s cultural impact and symbolic garments. For the latter, contributors include Charlie Fox, Silvia Calderoni, Jeph Burton, Rahim Attarzadeh and artists Karl Holmqvist and HB Hoyo.
Meanwhile, a rich catalogue of imagery spans past advertising campaigns, on-the-pitch looks, and an array of other archival imagery. Flaccavento says the collation of is ’instinctual rather than chronological... a dynamic journey through a fashion and sports phenomenon.’
’Experimental, engaging and informative, [it] is a journey that readers can hop into wherever they like; following the index, jumping back and forth, or even starting at the endpoint.... In this sense, it’s a true timelapse: a fluid document that testifies to the endurance and widespread relevance of Fila.’
’Fila: Timelapse’ is published by Rizzoli and is available to pre-order from Waterstones (£65, out 30 April, 2024).
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Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.
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