How Guillermo Vilas Became An Icon of Ellesse

Guillermo Vilas was one of the original icons of Ellesse in an era of one-upmanship, grand slam glory & style driven sportswear.

Even though the glory days of Vilas were probably already behind him, Guillermo Vilas was still a key player on the elite tennis scene in the early 1980s. Following his highly profiled sponsorship deal with Fila, it was Vilas alongside other White Line icons like Bjorn Borg that paved the way for style driven sportswear on the courts of the major grand slams. Sporting a range of iconic White Line styles courtesy of Fila in the late 1970s, Vilas switched sides & joined the Ellesse ranks in the early 1980s. The muscular Argentinian was the perfect pin up boy for Ellesse as tennis became more like a Casual catwalk with the big sportswear brands battling it out for endorsement deals with the top seeded players. Argentinian tennis legends like Guillermo Vilas became pin up boys over night thanks to sportswear endorsements with brands like Fila, Diadora, PUMA & Ellesse. Above: Guillermo Vilas was one of the original icons of Ellesse. Vilas was the perfect athlete. He was a powerful player with his own unique style, he had on court charisma & lived a flamboyant playboy lifestyle. Between 1977-1979 he had already boxed off 4 Grand Slam titles. It was no surprise then really that Ellesse wanted Vilas wearing their brand. Thanks to sportswear endorsements with tennis legends such as Boris Becker, Chris Evert and Guillermo Vilas to name a few, Ellesse made sportswear cool, fresh and vibrant unlike anything seen before on the global tennis courts. Combining function with Italian styling the Ellesse half ball tennis logo became the symbol of one-upmanship & style driven sportswear. Working with French designer's such as Jean-Charles de Castelbajac throughout the 1980s, Ellesse became a key style among the Casual subculture with their Continental sportswear, wedge haircuts and corduroy pants. Above: Guillermo Vilas at the the French Open in 1982 with his signature sporty 80s style courtesy of Ellesse. The flamboyant designs combined with the Guillermo Vilas endoresent deal cemented Ellesse as one of the most sought after sportswear brands of the early 1980s. Before the wiry West German wunderkid caused a standing ovation on the seated terraces of Wimbledon's legendary centre court in 1985, Ellesse had already made their mark on the elite tennis circuit courtesy of the Argentinian tennis legend. It was the Vilas Ellesse connection that paved the way for the sponsorship deal with the unseeded tennis player, Boris Becker, who would continue to fly the half tennis ball logo flag throughout the mid to late 1980s. Vilas retired from professional tennis in the early 90s and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991 leaving a lasting legacy for Ellesse. Shop the very latest Ellesse releases now at 80s Casual Classics via the links above.