Fendi launches men’s basketball-inspired collection

Dive Brief:

The Fendi Active: Basketball Capsule, a limited-edition men’s basketball-themed collection, launched last week in select boutiques and online.
The line features logo-driven apparel, including tanks and tees, plus embellished high top sneakers, accessories such as wristbands and keychains, and a wall-mounted plexiglass basketball hoop finished with Fendi O'Lock chains.
Fendi is promoting the launch with a pop-up basketball court installation on the seventh floor men’s department of Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship from June 1 to June 14, according to a release sent to Fashion Dive.

Dive Insight:

The collection features Fendi Roma and FF logos transformed into varsity lettering, and includes crystal-embellished high top sneakers, a basketball and carrying strap designed in collaboration with sports equipment manufacturer Spalding. The plexiglass hoop, which WWD reports will retail for $10,000, is currently available online for approximately $8,200 (168,000 TL).

Available in gray, white, black and cream, the collection sports Fendi Roma and FF logos throughout, and includes tracksuits, caps and shorts, plus wristbands and a selection of bags. WWD reported that U.S. prices range from $120 for terry socks to $1,790 for the sneakers.

Fendi parent company LVMH saw its revenue rise 17% to roughly $23.2 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. The U.S. market, which is home to the NBA and currently the top market for basketball, accounted for 23% of LVMH’s overall revenue. Yet nearly half of its revenue, 43%, came from Asia. According to Bleacher Report, the NBA is extremely popular in China right now, and it’s also the only American sports league with a significant following throughout Asia.

Basketball has become big business for luxury brands in recent years. Louis Vuitton has teamed up with the NBA for several seasons, including an iconic collection designed by the late Virgil Abloh. Then in February, Balmain partnered with Puma for a gilt-edged collaboration featuring a golden-trimmed basketball and sneakers.