FILA Taps Brandon Maxwell to Serve Up Tennis Fashion Collection – WWD

What happens when a top ready-to-wear designer teams up with an Italian legacy brand steeped in a deep heritage of tennis and athletic design? You turn a lot of heads — on and off the courts.

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

FILA by Brandon Maxwell features a women’s tennis assortment and this marks Maxwell’s first foray into tennis apparel. FILA by Brandon Maxwell “blends FILA’s strong Italian heritage and legacy of athletic design innovation with Brandon’s inherently preppy and American aesthetic.”

FILA described FILA by Brandon Maxwell as a collection of classic FILA tennis silhouettes mixed with core components of Maxwell’s aesthetic. “FILA’s signature navy and archival green appear alongside the combination of pink and red, which are among the designer’s staple colors,” the brand noted. “The line features artful and attention-grabbing details, perfectly placed pleats, and unexpected executions such as a classic polo shirt served up with a twist.”

In the latest edition of Head to Toe with Shannon Adducci, the style director for Footwear News, and Alex Badia, the style director for WWD, Badia said, “What I love about this collaboration is an American designer like Brandon Maxwell that is young and sort of a new generation, collaborating with an Italian brand and reimagining heritage tennis styles.” 

Adducci said Maxwell has been exploring what it means to be a contemporary American sportswear designer and said the “collaboration with FILA brings a playful edge to the classic Maxwell’s take on American preppy

FILA said the 21-piece range incorporates both staple styles and versatile options that can easily transition off-court. The featured dress designs include a cutout cami style in pink/navy and a pleated racer back dress in black.” 

FILA also noted that an asymmetrical dress in both navy/green and white, with a sheer mesh midriff cutout and a removable spaghetti strap for a one-shoulder option, will be included in the collection. Among the standout styles within the collection is the pink organza coat with a detachable skirt.

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

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

The collection drops on FILA.com, BrandonMaxwellOnline.com, and BANDIER.com and select BANDIER stores beginning on August 29. The price points range from $65 for sports bras to $165 for the organza coat.