In January 2009, Fila and James Blake entered into a product collaboration to develop a co-branded apparel, footwear and accessories collection with a trademark to be designed by Blake. Fila’s design team and James joined forces to create a collection that is inspired by James, his life and interests and incorporates the heritage of the Fila brand with a contemporary twist inspired by Blake’s signature style.
James spent several months searching for the name for the brand for the collection. In the end, he selected the name Thomas Reynolds, which is the first and middle name of his father. James often refers to his father as a superhero and so it is not surprising that his name was chosen for the brand. After months of working with Fila’s design team, Fila and James Blake will launch Thomas Reynolds at the 2009 US Open in New York.
According to Blake, “I wanted to create a line with Fila because I have learned a lot about tennis fashion throughout my career. I felt that I could create a line that is functional and stylish both on and off the court. Collaborating with Fila and their long history in tennis and sportswear made sense. It was the perfect fit!”
James will debut the fall 2009 collection during his first match at the US Open. The collection is branded with the Thomas Reynolds R-dot logo and the linear Fila logo. The fall styles incorporate a campanula, peacoat (navy) and white color combination. Campanula is inspired by James’ love of collegiate basketball and his favorite team from North Carolina. James wanted the line to include classic tennis looks. The fall collection consists of two polos (raglan sleeve and open placket), crew neck shirts (coolmax pique and tencel), shorts and warm-up. The line has a distinct nod to Fila’s tennis heritage with pinstripe detailing on one of the crew neck shirts, open placket and reversible collar on the polo, and athletic taping on the shoulder of the raglan polo. The open placket polo and solid crew neck incorporate the sustainable fabric, tencel. The warm up is a more refined fleece and the inside of the hooded jacket reverses from navy to campanula. The price points of the collection range from $45 – $65.
“I wanted the line to be more transitional,” said Blake, “and include styles that can be worn on-court, yet are stylish enough to wear for a night out.”
Fila’s Chairman Gene Yoon said, “Fila is proud to have the opportunity to develop a business venture with a top American tennis player whose personal style aligns so well with the Fila brand.”
Fila and James Blake will partner with Lord & Taylor and Tennis magazine to launch the collection just before the US Open. James will greet fans and sign autographs in the Thomas Reynolds concept shop at Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue on Thursday, August 27th at 6pm. The VIP launch event to unveil the line will feature DJ Sky Nellor and be held on the 11th floor Terrace at Lord & Taylor the same evening.
The Thomas Reynolds launch includes a fully integrated marketing and public relations program. The multi-channel marketing program integrates print and online advertising, an online contest, retail promotions, athlete appearances and Thomas Reynolds concept shops.
Thomas Reynolds will be carried at Lord & Taylor, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Paragon Sports, Mason’s Tennis Mart, Tenniswarehouse.com, fila.com and select specialty retailers around the country.
The full range of the Thomas Reynolds collection, including a full tennis, fitness, lifestyle, golf and footwear line, will launch throughout the Spring Summer 2010 season.
