Ellesse x 80s Casuals S/S’15 Collaboration Collection

During the last youth culture movement in this country, dedicated 80s Casuals moved the ‘tennis ball with the ski tips’ from a sporting given to an urban must. They took Leonardo Servadio(L.S)’s clean designs from the baseline of the tennis court to the front of the football terrace at the football – and they have never looked back.

Two men at the forefront of that scene – Dave Hewitson and Jay Montessori – began a stockist and design business, 80s Casuals, where they could opine about the best gear of the era, share stories with like-minded dressers and craft their own line of casual-inspired clothing.

Now, in 2015, it’s come full circle. Earlier this year the pair were approached by Ellesse to design a collection of enhanced heritage track tops and polos. It represented a great honour and the unique opportunity to hone the very gear that had helped shaped their style and individuality in the first place.

80s Casuals have designed boxed packaging for the collaboration track jackets for an increased premium feel, containing brand history information, collaboration branding devices and an introduction to the collab project. The model they have selected has never been done before and the style is very understated using the particularly rare and coveted Terrinda fabric. The designer duo met up with the key designers at Ellesse and described their passion for the brand; its styles and fabrics during the 80s. They showed them key pieces from that era as inspiration. They then simply went away and got it right first time.

Avery Parker

Click here to visit the 80s Casuals website.