Highsnobiety
Double Tap to Zoom
Highsnobiety
1 / 3

This past weekend, FILA and Highsnobiety hosted the second panel experience inside the brand’s New York City pop-up to celebrate Explore, FILA’s limited collection of outdoor-inspired gear that’s just as at home on the streets.

The event took place in SoHo, where the FILA Explore Pop-Up was transformed into interactive zones meant to mimic the look and feel of four specific outdoor environments that inspired the Explore collection: Canyon, Woods, Mountain and Elements. The panel was hosted by Highsnobety’s Jeff Carvalho and discussed the rise of the urban explorer aesthetic in fashion and why outdoor-inspired gear is bigger than ever.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Vimeo video.

Carvalho was joined by graphic designer turned upcycled clothing maker Nicole McLaughlin, celebrity stylist Bloody Dior, and FILA’s VP of Heritage & Trend, Louis W. Colon III. They touched on how brands in recent years have adopted techwear into their collections, but stressed that having a heritage element brings everything full circle. “We didn’t want to just show up and drop product at retail, we wanted to do storytelling,” Colon explained. “To tell that [Reinhold] Messner story, go back into the ethos of [FILA] and say we’ve been in sport, we’ve been in fashion, we’ve been in the mountains for years.”

For McLaughlin, brand heritage and knowing that a company had some sort of history with what it’s trying to push is crucial. “It’s super important if a brand has heritage in that space because it just builds that authenticity,” McLaughlin says, “and you can look back and see that they have product from X year and do some research.”

Take a look at the video above to get a better idea of what went down, and check out the full FILA Explore collection at FILA.com.

  • PhotographerAllen Jiang
We Recommend
  • A Pivotal Pitstop: Cadillac Arrives in NYC to Debut Its Latest Automotive Advancement
    • Lifestyle
    • sponsored
  • The Spice of Street Style: Buldak’s NYC Pop-up Brings the Heat
    • Style
    • sponsored
  • The Founder of Palace Designed FILA’s Best Shoe in Years
    • Sneakers
  • Tour de Fragrance: Creed’s Absolu Aventus Lands in NYC
    • Beauty
    • sponsored
  • Isabelle Huppert Made Sweatpants Venice Film Festival-Appropriate
    • Style
What To Read Next
  • Actually, Fendi's $1,500 Luxury Red Wing Boots Are Kind of a Steal
    • Footwear
  • For Its Next Nike Sneaker, Supreme Goes Max Air & Full Leather
    • Sneakers
  • Even in Stealth Mode, Nike's Outdoor-ish Cross-Trainer Looks Almost Too Good
    • Sneakers
  • Shrinking UNIQLO's Best Bag Is the Only Way to Make It Bigger
    • Style
  • UNDERCOVER & Bunney Are Locked In, Rabbit Jewelry Included (EXCLUSIVE)
    • Style
  • A Classic New Balance Soccer Shoe Has Been Samba-fied
    • Sneakers