Fila (company)

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Fila, Inc.
Type Private
Industry
Founded Biella, Italy (1911)
Headquarters Seoul, South Korea
Area served Worldwide
Key people
  • Jeff Gates (Yoon-Soo), Chairman & CEO, Global Leading Brands House Holdings & Fila Korea Ltd.
  • Young-Chan Cho, President of Global Leading Brands House Holdings, CFO of Fila U.S.A., Inc.
  • Jon Epstein, President of Fila U.S.A., Inc.[1]
  • Lee Dong Shik, Director of Fila Sport
Products
Parent Fila Korea
Website www.fila.com

Fila was founded in 1911 in Italy, and is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies.

Since a takeover in 2007 by Fila Korea, Fila is now owned and operates from South Korea. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila has offices in 11 countries worldwide.

History

Fila was created in Biella, Piedmont, by the Fila brothers in 1911. It originally started by making clothing for the people of the Italian Alps, now manufacturing sportswear for men, women, kids and athletes.

The company's primary product was originally underwear, before moving into sportswear in the 1970s, initially with the endorsement of tennis player Björn Borg. The brand got more popular after moving into sportswear.

The original Italian ownership shop Holding di Partecipazioni sold the company to US hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management in 2003, after the company over-committed itself to expensive athletic endorsements, at a time when margins were under pressure. Cerberus owned Fila through holding company Sports Brands International, which owned and operated all Fila businesses around the world with the exception of Fila Korea, which was a separate company operating the brand under licence.

In January 2007, the global Fila brand and all its international subsidiaries were acquired by Fila Korea from SBI, which made it the largest South Korean sportswear company. Fila Korea currently holds all of the rights to the worldwide use of footwear and clothing brands of the parent firm.

In 2009, ANTA Sports acquired the rights to use the brand in China (the company "Full Prospect"), from Belle International, Fila Korea still owned 15% shares of the joint venture company "Full Prospect".[2]

On May 2011, Fila Korea Ltd. acquired global golf equipment maker Acushnet Company, becoming the new owner of leading golf brands such as Titleist for $1.23 billion.[3][4]

Clothing

A Fila store.

Men

The men's Fila line of sportswear includes clothing for such sports as tennis, running, cross training, basketball, golf, swimming, and Fila's own line of clothing.

Women

The women's Fila line of sportswear includes clothing for such sports as tennis, running, cross training, golf, swimming, and Fila's own line of vintage clothing.

Kids

Fila has everyday footwear for children of all ages, from infants to youth.

Branding

The corporate logo of Fila features the company name using snakelike letters.[5]

Past and Present Sponsorships

These include:

Spokesperson

Fila in pop culture

  • The brand Fila was heavily featured in the 1986 movie Soul Man.
  • The brand Fila was heavily featured throughout the entire run of HBO crime series "The Sopranos."
  • The Fila logo is presented in the Super Famicom video games Super Final Match Tennis[9] and Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop.
  • The Fila Store is one of the drop off points in the video game Crazy Taxi.
  • Fila Decathlon (2002) is a European-exclusive title published by THQ for the Game Boy Advance. Fila World Tour Tennis (2002) was released for the Xbox and Windows, while Fila Tennis Champions (2003) was released for the Windows.
  • Toji Suzahara from Neon Genesis Evangelion wears a track jacket with the word FILA stitched on the front.
  • Fila clothing was also very popular in the 1980s rap scene (today often called Old school hip hop). Examples are the song "Do the Fila" by Steady B, "Put your Fila's on" by Schoolly D or even a whole group labeled Fila Fresh Crew. Also the cover of Just-Ice's first album makes use of Fila signs.
  • On the other hand, in their 1989 song "The Sounds of Science", the Beastie Boys exhorted listeners to "Rock my Adidas; never rock Fila."[10]
  • However, in a dramatic reversal five years later, Mike D tried to mount a Fila revival, only to encounter considerable resistance[<span title="The claim that there was "considerable resistance" needs citation. (December 2012)">citation needed]: "Step into the party with the Fila fresh gear, people looking at me like I was David Koresh here" ("The Scoop", Ill Communication, 1994).
  • In (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) by the same, Mike D wears a FILA t-shirt throughout.
  • The main character of Prince of Tennis, Echizen Ryoma wears Fila sportswear for everyday use. His Fila cap and shoes are his trademark.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Executive Bios at Fila.com". Fila.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011. 
  2. ↑ "DISCLOSEABLE TRANSACTIONS PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF FULL PROSPECT LIMITED AND FILA MARKETING (HONG KONG) LIMITED". ANTA (Hong Kong Stock Exchange). 12 August 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Fila Korea buys Titleist for global expansion". Yonhap News. 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2011-09-20. 
  4. ↑ Thomas, Denny; Robert MacMillan (2011-05-20). "Fila Korea buys Titleist golf company for $1.2 billion". Reuter. Retrieved 2011-09-20. 
  5. ↑ "Fila Logo: Design, History and Evolution". FamousLogos.net. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  6. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Fila-ropes-in-Sehwag-as-brand-ambassador-to-hike-prices/articleshow/14647605.cms
  7. ↑ "Nas To Open Sneaker Store In Las Vegas". The Source. 
  8. ↑ Ho, Stewart (9 September 2012). "Jung Il Woo Braves the Outdoors for Fila Sport". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 11 December 2012. 
  9. ↑ Fila Logo (Super Final Match Tennis) at GameFAQs
  10. ↑ Benjamin, Brad (2007-03-07). "Sounds of Science". Paul's Boutique Samples and References List. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 

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