NEW YORK, NY - Fila's flagship New York store has added three more awards to its already impressive list of distinctions. Capturing top honors was Fila's interpretation of "l'arte nello sport", a graceful fusion of innovative and elegant design with the beauty of performance.

The result of renowned architect Giorgio Borruso's vision of motion, the Madison Avenue space won "Store of the Year" in the Specialty Store category at the 2006 National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers Retail Design Awards. In addition to that honor, Fila took home Grand Prize for Specialty Store in the 3,001-25,000 square foot category--a sweep of all categories--as well as the notable Store Fixture Award. Fila's signature fixtures include curved metacrylic shields, which make garment racks lean forward. Elliptical 15-foot columns, covered in more than 150 hand-bent aluminum strips--as different from each other as snowflakes due to 5,000-plus hand-welds-- descend from the dark recesses of the ceiling. The aluminum wrap treatment is repeated on the rollout cashwrap. Hundreds of shoes climb along a 50-foot long canted MDF wall textured with delicate waves; 220 attachment points enable nearly limitless merchandising combinations, softening the distinctions between categories.

The space is resplendent with action even when the store is closed. Its fixtures and design elements personify movement as shoppers are transported to a world where the passion of art and sport is seamlessly entwined. Even the ceiling is made fluid by undulating strips flowing across the space. The illusion is created by an aluminum frame, bound in a continuous piece of fabric. The sports theme is evident in technogel seating pads mimicking athletic-shoe cushioning on MDF benches, hand-finished in eight coats of pearlescent lacquer. The stylish appearance of the store is a reflection of the chic and functional fashions within. The merchandise triumphs as the transparency of the metacrylic fixture elements place it squarely in the spotlight and reflective columns give it an instant replay. The space was designed as an elegant prototype for recently opened stores in La Jolla, San Jose, Las Vegas, and Charlotte. The same innovative shoe walls and similar graceful fixtures will remain just as prominent in upcoming retail spaces in Coral Gables and Boca Raton.

"We chose locations across the country that were critical to our positioning strategies as an upscale Italian brand," said Sheryl Bloom, Managing Director of Retail. "The award-winning design of the New York space--which is now being successfully interpreted in our nationwide rollout of stores--is truly representative of our target market, both discerning and pleasurable. Our clientele view sport as a part of their overall identity. Their participation is as highly personal, as beautiful and as transcendent as our retail spaces. Our brand identity is further distinguished by offering all of our collections under one elaborate rooftop.

Fila's award-winning space is located at 340 Madison Avenue (between 43rd and 44th Streets), New York, featuring apparel, footwear, and accessories in eight categories, including running, wellness, tennis, golf and mountain. For more information about Giorgio Borruso, please visit info@borrusodesign.com.

ABOUT FILA

Fila was conceived in 1911 in Biella, in the shadows of the Italian Alps. The brand made a dramatic debut as an elite performance brand in 1973. Over the years the brand has been personified in the elite likes of Bjorn Borg, Reinhold Messner, Alberto Tomba, and current U.S. Open Champion Kim Clijsters. Fila offers its distinctive luxury goods in eight categories, ranging from performance collections to sport couture.

Fila is a subsidiary of Sport Brands International (SBI), which creates, develops, produces and distributes athletic brands including Fila, Ciesse and Cloudveil. The Fila brand has its most vital market penetration in the Americas, Europe and Asia. SBI is a privately held entity with global operations in Milan, Italy; New York, New York; and Sparks, Maryland. Research and development facilities are additionally located in Montebelluna, Italy. To learn more about the brand, visit www.fila.com.