The list of sporting events celebrating an anniversary in 2024 is growing. After Adidas, Foot Locker and others, it’s time to put 65 candles in Ellesse’s cake. The Italian fashion brand, part of the Pentland Group since 1987, was founded by Leonardo “Mantis” Servadio in Perugia, Umbria. The name Ellesse derives from Servadio’s initials, L.S., pronounced “eleh” and “esseh” in Italian.
Servadio sought to fuse technology and style with a generous helping of Italian attitude. With a dream to bring fashion to sportswear, he began by tailoring modern work trousers and then applied his craft to ski trousers in the 1960s. As the logo – a tennis ball surrounded by two skis – suggests, Ellesse was, from the start, focused on garments for two sports. In the 1970s, the brand drew attention when it started sponsoring the tennis legend Chris Evert. From her Wimbledon win in 1974, the first of her 18 Grand Slam wins, she wore a full Ellesse kit.
In 2022, Ellesse collaborated with the luxury brand Michael Kors. Now, Ellesse is back again with luxurious garments and shoes, this time under the name LSR. The name comes from one of Ellesse’s iconic sneakers, the Laser shoe.
The LSR campaign was shot in a 20th-century Italian villa with three models: Kit Price, DJ Fiona Zanetti and content creator D’nieccio. Ellesse says the three models were chosen because “each of them brings their unique flair and embody the blend of heritage and contemporary cool that defines the LSR.”
