Ferrari launches its first ever high-performance-fabric fashion collection

Ferrari has launched its first in-house fashion collection of contemporary high-performance and high-tech fabric for men and women as it looks to reboot its brand extension strategy. Ferrari says that the internally-designed apparel collection offers the fans of the brand and its supercars a touch of "couture".

The fashion collection was displayed at carmaker's assembly line in its hometown of Maranello, Italy, where it usually produces its V12 engine vehicles and its hand-sculpted 812 GTS. The auto maker's apparel collection is inspired by the ergonomic designs of its vehicles, their high-performance nature and the techy finish.

The clothes have been designed in a gender neutral way, have curvy shapes, and raglan shoulders inspired by its cars, reported Fashion Network. "Our clothes must be recognizable not for the logo but also for their spirit," Rocco Iannone, Ferraris' creative director of fashion, told the publication. The clothes feature high-graphic prints, blends of 1950s posters and magazine covers hinting at speed, images of the prancing horse from the brand's logo and even Ferrari Formula One champions taking the checkered flag.

The fashion launch is a major step in Ferrari's new brand strategy, one of its biggest investments outside the car business. The company plans to leverage the fashion business to account for around 10% of the profits in about seven to ten years.

Ferrari's fashion collection will be offered mainly online and through its official stores in Maranello, Milan and Rome in Italy. More stores will in Los Angeles and Miami in the US this year and in China in 2022. Prices for its clothes range from around 200 euros for t-shirts to up to 3,000 euros for top-range coats. The carmaker will eventually expand its luxury fashion collection to include accessories. Further, Ferrari also plans to extend its brand to include a new restaurant in hometown Maranello in northern Italy.

(with inputs from Reuters)