In partnership with Fila, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island has unveiled a new exhibit to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the brand that has been worn by many great champions of tennis, including Hall of Famers Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Monica Seles. The Museum exhibit at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a part of a multi-tiered celebration of the brand, which includes an interactive microsite on Fila.com, the opening of the Fila Museum in Biella, Italy and two celebratory clothing lines.
“At the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, our mission is to preserve and showcase the history of tennis, with the goal of honoring the legends and inspiring tennis fans,” said CEO Mark L. Stenning. “From Borg’s Wimbledon victories to Seles French Open title, Fila has been an integral partner in great moments in tennis history and we are pleased to celebrate their milestone anniversary by showcasing the brand’s rich history to our visitors.”
The special exhibit was unveiled in mid-June and will be changed out throughout the year as part of Fila’s year-long celebration of the centennial anniversary of the brand. The first exhibit showcases the White Line, Fila’s first tennis collection, through design sketches and dramatic tennis photos of Fila players in action. A wooden Fila tennis racquet and polos worn by tennis great Boris Becker are also part of the display. The exhibit will change every few months for a total of four exhibits over the course of the next 12 months.
“We are thrilled to bring elements of our archives to Newport for inclusion in an exhibit at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum,” said Gene Yoon, Chairman of Fila. “Tennis is such a rich part of our brand history and the Hall of Fame is an excellent environment to highlight select items from the archives.”
In addition to the special anniversary exhibit, the Museum displays several Fila pieces from great moments in tennis history on a regular basis. In the Grand Slam Gallery, visitors can see the outfit worn by Kim Clijsters when she went from wild card entry to major champion at the 2009 US Open, following her 27-month hiatus from tennis. Also on display is the memorable green Fila outfit that Clijsters wore when she captured the 2011 US Open. In the ATP World Tour Gallery, one of Bjorn Borg’s iconic Fila outfits is on display.
In the Woolard Family Enshrinement Gallery, visitors can utilize the interactive kiosks to see videos of their favorite Hall of Famers who wore the Fila brand in action. In addition to Borg, Becker and Seles, this elite group includes Guillermo Vilas, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Pam Shriver.
Fans can learn more about these legendary tennis players through the Fila 100th anniversary microsite, which is accessible via the homepage of Fila.com. The site features an array of photos of athletes, ads, images, logos, and legendary moments in the history of the Fila brand. In the site’s Gear section, visitors can engage in the 100th anniversary celebration by voting on whether they would wear the product today. After voting, a pop-up of the product appears with interesting information and the product’s significance in Fila’s history and how other people voted on the same product.
The 100th anniversary museum is located in the Province of Biella, Italy, the region where the Fila brand was established by the Fila brothers in 1911. The team at Fila has reviewed a century worth of archives including design sketches, products, photos, fashion show videos and more, which they will utilize in the Museum to tell the story of the Fila brand and its involvement in the region’s rich textile history through six exhibits over the next eighteen months.
