Attitude and aura of Italian heritage and workmanship

Fila says it has been able to balance the product manufacturing locally versus import in its portfolio. The apparel manufacturing contribution is 80% India and 20% import. The brand is operated under Metro Brands since it was bought over from Batra Group. FILA will be present across all Metro and Mochi stores, Abdon Lepcha, the brand’s Creative Director informs Images Business of Fashion. Excerpts

Tell us more about product diversification that has happened at brand Fila.

As a Fashion Sportswear brand, the mantra has been "without beauty, there is no performance", and as it rightly put, the products are an amalgamation of beauty, style and performance. The product portfolio consists of apparel, footwear and accessories under which most of the lifestyle, sportswear and athleisure styles are covered.

In the apparel segment, the products range from crop and tank tops for women, sweatshirts, sweathoodies, jackets and joggers are important silhouettes that cover most of the athleisure pillar. Along with these fashion silhouettes, styles are introduced to give the x factor to the collection. Sneakers as an overall blanket covers the footwear category under which we have differentiated products like the tennis-inspired court sneakers, triple black and white sneakers, chunky silhouettes, fashion and style infused products for daily lifestyle and new innovative products for outdoor run or training.

Which product categories are the best performing in the Indian market?

In footwear, chunky sneakers, classics, court sneakers, outdoor and retro. In apparel, tennis lifestyle, terrace-wear, unicolor sets, normcore looks, tech and tennis.

Abdon Lepcha, Creative Director, FILA