Inside the Fila Museum in the company’s new brand experience center.
Courtesy of Fila
Fila has returned to its former home in Biella, Italy to open its new brand experience center.
According to the brand, it has transformed its historic building at Viale Cesare Battisti 26 in Biella, the site of Fila’s operations from 1923 to 2004. Now, reacquired and completely renovated, the building houses the Fila Museum, product and marketing archives, offices, and multifunctional spaces for events and meetings.
Covering approximately 88,000-square-feet, the company noted that the new hub was designed as a true brand experience center – a physical space where it not only communicates, but welcomes, narrates, and invites visitors to live the Fila experience in its historical and manufacturing birthplace of Biella.
Inside the center – home to the Fila Museum and its extensive historical archives (including footwear, apparel, and documents) – the layout offers an immersive and engaging experience. The exhibition traces Fila’s transformation from its beginnings in 1911 as a knitwear manufacturer, to the pivotal shift in the 1970s toward activewear under the leadership of Enrico Frachey, who identified tennis as a key sport for the brand, marking iconic moments such as the partnership with Fila brand ambassador, Björn Borg.
What’s more, the Fila Museum’s exhibition features a time tunnel that aims to immerse visitors in the brand’s history, retracing its path from origin to the latest developments in sportswear and fashion through iconic garments and multimedia content.
The narrative continues in the tennis area, which celebrates a turning point: the 1974 introduction of the White Line collection, which broke conventions by bringing color to tennis attire – with the first striped-knit polo worn by Borg, accompanying him in his five consecutive Grand Slam victories in England from 1976 to 1980.
Next, the sports area pays tribute to the athletes who achieved legendary feats wearing Fila: from Reinhold Messner’s 1978 oxygen-free ascent of Mount Everest in the White Rock line, to Giovanni Soldini’s around-the-world sailing adventures.
And, the sneakers area delves into Fila’s evolution in footwear, highlighting its entry into 1990s street culture. Finally, the museum highlights some of Fila’s most iconic collaborations with Fendi, Y/Project, Haider Ackermann, Roksanda, Hailey Bieber, among others.
Inside the Fila Museum in the company’s new brand experience center.
Courtesy of Fila
Gene Yoon, chairman of Fila parent company Misto Holdings, said in a statement that his love for the brand dates back to its early years.
“I am immensely proud to offer the group, the city of Biella, and all Fila fans the new Fila brand experience center: a milestone that bridges our glorious past with the future of the brand,” Yoon said.
The Fila brand experience center is set to open to the public on Nov. 14.