Fila exhibits at Gwangju Design Biennale
09/09/2021
The overarching theme of this edition is d-Revolution, meaning “revolution through design”.
Among the list of exhibitors is Seoul-headquartered sportswear brand Fila, founded in Italy in 1911. (Fila Korea acquired the brand and all its subsidiaries in 2007, whereas China’s Anta Sports has owned the rights to the Fila brand in China, Hong Kong and Macao since 2009.)
Currently in its 110th year, Fila is presenting heritage products - and those considered best reflective of its brand “DNA” - amid the biennale’s international pavilion, with Dub Revolution (suggesting Fila’s links to the 1960s reggae music and fashion scenes) as its sub-theme. Reportedly, the intention is to convey a sense of artistically remixing something “foreign” with “local flavour”.
Local media said that the fact that the company is participating in the design fair as an “artist”, rather than a sponsor, had attracted particular attention within the country.
Divided into four sections, the Fila display shows its 110th anniversary collection (a modern riff on its archive, first presented at Milan Fashion Week in February in partnership with English fashion stylist Katie Grand) alongside historical Fila-branded articles, examples of past and present collaborations (such as those co-created with Starbucks, Acqua di Parma and Italian retailer 10 Corso Como) and a new Fila x Dub cycling collection of apparel, footwear and accessories.
The Italian curator of the international pavilion as a whole, architect Simone Carena, has also worked with the brand to design a Fila x Dub t-shirt especially for the event, employed as its official staff uniform.A brand spokesperson commented that they hoped visitors would appreciate the exhibition, the intention behind which was to communicate Fila’s “unique” creativity, heritage and brand “spirit”, they said.
Image: Fashionbiz.
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