Fila Launches Collection in Honor of the Notorious B.I.G.
Click here to read the full article.
Fila is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G’s famous debut album, “Ready to Die,” by creating a special collection.
The sporting goods brand partnered with the Christopher Wallace Estate on the six-piece Fila x Biggie Collection, which includes a T-shirt and visor from the Fila archives as well as a new sneaker model, each offered in two colorways.
The collection will be sold beginning today on the Fila web site and on May 21, in honor of the late rapper’s birthday, it will be expanded to select specialty retailers.
“We created this exclusive collection to honor a groundbreaking album, artist and pop culture icon who has left a lasting impact in the music world and beyond,” said Louis W. Colon 3rd, vice president of heritage and trend for Fila North America. “The era’s most iconic hip-hop stars embraced the Fila brand, with memorable looks. In 1993, Biggie took the stage in Philadelphia wearing the T-shirt and matching visor that are part of the collaborative collection today.”
The graphic T as well as the visor, both of which retail for $25, are available in white and aqua as well as cream. The T-shirt features a scribble design inside an enlarged Fila “F.”
The sneaker, the Fila Tennis 88 is an update of the brand’s Original Tennis model and is offered in cream with a suede upper and a white and aqua version with a leather upper. It features a tongue with a dual-branded logo, a quarter F-box embroidered logo, custom direct embroidery of Ready to Die on the back counter, and flat cotton laces. The printed sock liner in the cream silhouette features the baby photo from the album cover, while the white silhouette includes Ready to Die on the sock liner. The sneakers come in a co-branded shoebox decorated with the original album art. The shoes retail for $90.
As part of the partnership, Fila will donate a pair of children’s sneakers to the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation for every collaboration sneaker sold on its web site. They will be distributed in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn where Biggie was born and raised. The nonprofit organization focuses on early education.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
