FILA x PEPSI | LICENSING COLLABORATION
project overview
Client: PepsiCo (Pepsi Brand Division)
Role: Cross-Industry Licensing Strategist & Heritage Brand Fusion Architect
Timeline: 2016–2017 (Part of six-year PepsiCo strategic partnership)
Category: Cross-Industry Brand Extension, Heritage Brand Fusion, Nostalgic Market Positioning
Most brand collabs swap logos and call it a partnership. I fused two heritages into one product.
PepsiCo wanted into fashion. The lazy version is a logo on a tee. Instead I merged Pepsi's history with FILA's sport-style DNA through integrated design, so the result read as one product story rather than two brands sharing space.
I built it around a tri-color motif that carried both heritages, timed the launch to the 4th of July to lean into Americana, and structured a three-way retail takeover with FILA USA and DTLR. The range covered apparel and footwear on the Disruptor 2 and Creator silhouettes.
It rolled out across DTLR's East Coast network with flagship placement, landed a Hypebeast feature, and used influencer seeding to drive organic adoption in sneaker and style communities.
Co-branding is two logos in a room together. A real collaboration is one idea both brands disappear into.
THE PRODUCT
THE PRESS
