Ellesse, I bought a pair back in the day cause they looked like Duffs (who remembers Duffs).....

ellesse collaborates with top creatives to promote design competition

ellesse is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the design competition CREATE TENNIS ART and with uber cool illustrator and typographer Si Scott as part of the jury. The iconic Italian sportswear brand is now unveiling 2 new collaborations, with textile print superstar Kate Gibb and Greek animation genius Babis Alexiadis. Two great inspirations to enter the competition!

Kate is an internationally renowned silk screen artist having worked for the likes of Dries Van Noten, Stussy, Adidas, Virgin Records and EMI Recordings. You might recognise her signature style from her ongoing collaboration with ‘The Chemical Brothers’ which started with the cover of the album “Surrender” (remember “hey boy, hey girl....”?).

Kate was influenced by vintage images of tennis players for the silk screen print she created for ellesse (see attachment). Applying layer upon layer of colour to these original images, she developed a unique print that captures the innovative qualities of the ellesse brand and the sense of tradition in her work as a silk screen artist.

Babis’ work focuses mostly on short animations and video art productions; it is recognised for being predominantly hand-drawn with a limited digital input. Babis has created pieces for the likes of BBC Big Screen West Midlands, the Midlands Arts Centre and Friction Arts and directed two music videos. In 2008, he won the first prize in the “Your Point of View” competition run by fashion brand BSB. He has also won the public choice award in the Micropolis international film festival inAthens, Greece.

The piece he created for the ellesse 50th anniversary consists of a quirky animation featuring hand-stitched characters which took over 100 hundred hours to create. Babis used a new technique and adopted a unique palette of water colours to illustrate the brand’s colourful history. You can check it out HERE.

The deadline to enter the competition is May 10th and all you have to do is create a piece of art or design to commemorate the ellesse 50th anniversary inspired by the brand’s Italian heritage and sporting roots in tennis.

You could win €4,500 and be sent to the ellesse 50th anniversary event this summer in Rome where your work will be on display. An opportunity you shouldn’t miss...
The categories for the competition range from fashion and textiles, right through to fine art, sculpture, street art, graphics and digital.


Visit Ellesse 50th Anniversary for more details and to enter the competition.

Updates and news can be found on the competition’s facebook