FILA Partners With Brazilian Rapper Mano Brown to Present the FX-2 Sneaker in its 40th Anniversary
The commemorative editorial, inspired by the creator’s upbringing, celebrates representation and artistic expression.
In celebration of its first shoe’s 40th anniversary, FILA has created a commemorative editorial of the FX-2 sneaker alongside renowned São Paulo rapper Mano Brown. The musician recalls dancing in his youth at parties in the Zona Sul, where he’d look up to a group of older party-goers wearing the brand’s classic jacket in red, sand, and navy blue. Over three decades later, Brown is inspiring a shoe with this nostalgic insignia, a collaboration that represents the powerful entities that have shaped modern street culture.
Brown, a founding member of the iconic Brazilian hip-hop group Racionais MCs, has created lyrical imagery of social justice and gang violence since 1988. Emerging from a São Paulo favela, he’s been a voice in music and art that embodies the heart of street culture, using rap as an avenue through which he projects critical commentary. Brown’s melodies extend beyond music to embody the spirit of the streets, platforming a community which is iconized for driving urban style while simultaneously facing social neglect. The partnership between FILA and Brown speaks to the mutual impacts made between a brand and its consumer base; while a brand defines its wearers with an aesthetic representation, it’s also impacted by the individual’s unique styling.
Fila
Fila
Fila
“FILA was integrated into a lifestyle that made a deep impact on us. Now, having this opportunity to work with the brand [is] a sense of closure for a cycle, at least for me, as a distant admirer who could barely afford a piece from the brand,” says Brown. “With the partnership with FILA, all those pieces that I dreamt of having are now in my wardrobe.”
This cycle, which represents the process of social transformation and upward mobility, is portrayed in the commemorative campaign. For Brown’s fan base, it speaks to a common experience at the center of authentic street culture, where creativity and personal style arise through resilience in conditions of struggle. This expression of heritage is mirrored by the FX-2’s beginnings, originally created by FILA’s visionary creative director Pierluigi Rolando, who revolutionized sportswear in the ’70s. The collaboration brings together two forces of urban cultural growth and evolution, a celebration of the indelible forces across art, music, and fashion that arise from humble beginnings.
The FX-2 sneaker, presented by Mano Brown, is available at FILA.
