Rowing Blazers, FILA and ‘Babar’ Launch Capsule Collection

Rowing Blazers and FILA have teamed up with Nelvana, a producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content and The Clifford Ross Company, to launch a limited-edition, tennis-inspired capsule collection featuring the children’s literary character, Babar the Elephant.  

The 14-piece Rowing Blazers x FILA x Babar collection includes apparel, accessories and footwear, with FILA silhouettes that invigorate the Babar brand with new, unexpected designs.  

“I’ve had a print of Babar and his family playing tennis hanging on my wall for as long as I can remember,” says Jack Carlson, founder and chief executive officer, Rowing Blazers. “It’s serene and it brings together two of my favorite things: Babar and the game of tennis. Babar the Elephant is, perhaps, my favorite character in all of children’s literature. He had style, taste and great friends and family.”  

For this capsule, the character is incorporated into all pieces, swapping his signature green suit for court-ready attire. The color palette of white, navy, green and yellow presents hues associated with both FILA and Babar. Plus, to commemorate this collaboration of Babar with Rowing Blazers and FILA, Babar primary toy partner YOTTOY has created an exclusive, limited-edition Babar plush, sporting the same tennis ensemble as featured in the collection.  

The apparel, offered in sizes XS-XXL for men and women, features polo shirts, tracksuits, a crewneck sweatshirt, graphic T-shirts, shorts and a tennis skirt. Design elements include the zig-zag pattern synonymous with the Rowing Blazers brand, a variety of custom logos and Babar cleverly dressed in key styles from the collection. Standout pieces include a zig-zag-patterned polo shirt along with a warmup jacket and sweatpants. In keeping with the tennis theme, a classic white tee is embellished with a famous illustration from the book “Babar the King'' by Jean de Brunhoff, with Babar and Celeste playing doubles. All styles feature Rowing Blazers’ signature zig-zig trim and custom Babar Tennis logo. The matching accessories include a tennis bag and two baseball caps. 

To complement the apparel, the capsule includes a special-edition FILA Tennis 88 white sneaker, decorated with Rowing Blazers, FILA and Babar logo treatments on the tongue and heel. Babar appears on the midsole, tennis racquet in hand and again on the sock liners that feature the same storybook image as seen on the graphic tee.  

“As we celebrate Babar’s 90th anniversary milestone, we are so excited to partner with Rowing Blazers and FILA on a beautiful tennis-inspired capsule collection,” says Mellany Masterson, head, Nelvana Enterprises. “Rowing Blazers has become a trusted partner elevating Babar through innovative high-end products and FILA brings unmatched expertise on high-quality tennis apparel for a collaboration that perfectly captures Babar’s dapper style.” 

The collection is available exclusively at Rowingblazers.com. Select styles will be available on FILA.com later this fall.