Fila and the Christopher Wallace Estate have released the Fila x Biggie Collection today in honor of the legendary rapper’s debut album, Ready to Die, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last September. The six-piece collection includes a new sneaker style as well as a t-shirt and visor from Fila’s archives.
The Fila Tennis 88 x Biggie ($90) silhouette is an updated version to the Original Tennis silhouette that kicked off the brand’s popularity amongst Brooklynites. The cream colorway features a suede upper while the white and aqua colorway comes in a full grain, smooth leather upper. The sneakers also feature a tongue with a dual-branded logo, a quarter F-box embroidered logo, custom direct embroidery of Ready to Die on the back counter and flat cotton laces. The printed sock liner in the cream silhouette features the iconic baby photo from the album cover, while the white silhouette includes Ready to Die on the sock liner. The footwear is packaged in a custom shoebox, which is co-branded and decorated with elements of the original album art.
“We created this exclusive collection to honor a groundbreaking album, artist and pop culture icon who has left a lasting impact in the music world and beyond,” states Louis W. Colon III, vice president of Heritage & Trend at Fila North America. “The era’s most iconic hip-hop stars embraced the Fila brand with memorable looks. In 1993, Biggie took the stage in Philadelphia wearing the t-shirt and matching visor that are part of the collaborative collection today.”
To further honor Biggie and this collection, Fila will donate a pair of children’s sneakers to the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation for every collaboration sneaker sold on Fila.com. The foundation is committed to giving back to the community, with a focus on early education. The shoes will be distributed in Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, where Biggie was born and raised, in an effort to support local youth and offer new kicks to kids for summer play.
The collection is available exclusively on Fila.com until May 21 and then, in commemoration of the late rapper’s birthday, distribution will expand to select retailers, including Dr. Jays.
