Fila and Deichmann have launched a campaign telling Gen Z to put the phone down and live in the moment, fronted by German creator Kayla Shyx, with two million combined Instagram and TikTok followers. The campaign runs Aug. 3 to Sept. 13 across Germany and 16 other countries.
Fila and European footwear retailer Deichmann have launched a joint brand awareness campaign built around a proposition that cuts against the grain for a social media-native audience: Put the phone down and live in the moment.
Retro visuals, real-world setting
The German-language campaign, running from Aug. 3 to Sept. 13 across Germany and 16 other countries, is fronted by Kayla Shyx – singer, actress and one of Germany’s most followed Gen Z creators, with over two million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok.
The campaign follows Shyx and her friend Sofya through everyday life in Berlin, shot in a deliberately retro aesthetic – camcorder footage, low-fidelity visuals and the look of disposable camera photography – to reinforce the offline theme.
The offline-as-luxury playbook
The accompanying 40-piece collection, available exclusively in Deichmann stores and on deichmann.com, runs the full head-to-toe range: chunky sneakers, cropped shirts, jackets, flared trousers, caps and bags. The range sits squarely in Fila’s heritage-meets-streetwear positioning, mixing retro spirit with modern street style details including teddy bear bag charms.
The campaign is a useful case study in how heritage sports brands are using the offline-as-luxury narrative – increasingly resonant with Gen Z – to cut through on social media platforms that are, somewhat ironically, the primary channel for the campaign’s rollout.
