March 23, 2013 — On Friday evening at the Sony Open in Miami, world No. 24 Jelena Jankovic debuted FILA’s new tennis dress created by its first Facebook design contest winner, Samantha Swank.
Swanky created a flirty pink design that melts into a white border, and (our favorite part!) the back of the dress is apparently inspired by the human spine. The flattering feminine lines combined with the exquisite silhouette make this a great statement tennis dress from Fila.
Currently a junior at East Stroudsberg University, Swank entered the Facebook contest last summer after receiving her associate’s degree in fashion from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Last night, Swank was able to see her design in action for the first time as she enjoyed Jankovic’s match courtside with her mother and boyfriend.
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What is most inspiring though, is that Fila allowed Swank’s design to stay organic from the beginning, with only one small visible change in the hem of the finished product: an extra slit (sketch above). Well done, Fila, a great new fresh design.
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According to Fila’s Vice President of Apparel, Danny Lieberman: “Fila has a rich history of design innovation and a reputation for pushing the boundaries between art, design and fashion. Nearly four decades of tennis design experience have taught us that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places, so it was almost expected that Fila develop the first citizen-designed tennis dress to be worn in tournament competition by a top ranked WTA Tour player.”
Hopefully, Fila will continue in this initiative and inspire even more every day designers in the future.
Don’t forget to follow Fila on Facebook (Facebook.com/FilaUSA) and Twitter (@TennisFilaUSA)!
(Jelena Jankovic Sony Open Photos: Tennis Fila)