Aries and FILA Team Up for a Celebration of Italian Heritage
Following its recent collaboration with New Balance, Aries is back with another collaboration, this time partnering with FILA.
This time around, the collection focuses on apparel with a unisex approach, including sailing-inspired sportswear, tailoring, nylon tracksuits, as well as swimwear and base layers.
“The first introduction to FILA came from a very old friend who has been working in sportswear and collaborations since the beginning. He is a very interesting person who I trust and felt immediately that it could work. I was interested in two aspects of the collaboration. First, the branding,” Aries founder Sofia Prantera explains.
“I am Italian and I grew up wearing Fila; Fila’s Italian history goes back a very long time and started with sports undergarments. They were made on beautiful circular knitting machines which are very rare now and are collected. A bit like old denim looms, they are not practical for modern production and it’s this method of production that creates a knit that’s extremely light and durable. Imagine a cross between a very fine knitwear piece and an old T-shirt. They are simple but unmistakable branding elevated them and made them extremely desirable.”
“I think Fila and Lacoste were the first two brands I recognized as such growing up because of the amazing logos and as we know now, branding has such an effect on young people. We watched a lot of tennis when coming over from Italy to visit my English grandmother and a lot of the big tennis stars at that time were wearing Fila.”
For the collaboration, FILA and Aries have merged their unique DNAs to create a capsule collection that delves into FILA’s vintage archive, as well as Aries’ streetwear ethos.
“I got into fashion because I love making things so being able to experiment in this way was a dream come true,” Sofia continues.
“It was also super fun coming up with a campaign inspired by classic mythology and being able to research Sicily’s rich history when shooting it. The whole concept was based on our common Italian roots, with Fila’s focus this year being on their iconic sailing jacket designed for Giovanni Soldini’s solo navigation. Our collection is titled “Vela Nera” [Black Sail] and was loosely inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur,” she explains.
“Some of Fila’s more devoted consumers might find it challenging but I felt it was important to reconnect Fila to its Italian roots while giving them something Aries; mythology, art, and humour. And why not – exploring new ideas is the most inspiring thing in life.”
Marrying the two brands perfectly, the collaboration is guaranteed to become a go-to this summer, especially for those who have been looking to add more casual sportswear-inspired pieces to their rotation.
Unfortunately, the collection will only be available in Europe, and it will be available on May 5.
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