MADE IN ITALY: Ellesse has asked the British American actor and brand ambassador Andrew Garfield to take on an altogether different persona for its latest global ad campaign, “Do It Like an Italian,” which was shot for the first time by fashion photographer and filmmaker Oliver Hadlee Pearch.
The campaign unfolds across three cinematic chapters: “Say It Like an Italian,” “Play It Like an Italian” and “Style It Like an Italian.” Ellesse, founded in Italy in 1959 as a ski and tennis apparel specialist, is now owned by the U.K.-based Pentland.
The brand said the campaign aims to show that sport is not just about performance, it’s about style and pleasure, too.
Guided by an off-screen Italian coach, Garfield practices his pronunciation and hand gestures, and perfects his serve on the court as he seeks to become an honorary Italian.
“My friends and I grew up coveting and wearing Ellesse, so being asked to be part of their team now feels really special. I love their ethos when it comes to the vitality and passionate expression in sport — the beauty and joy of using the body. Ellesse has always been a symbol of sensual aesthetic style,” said the stage and screen actor known for his roles in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Social Network” and “After the Hunt.”
The campaign draws on Ellesse’s ’80s and ’90s archive; the brand’s signature silhouettes and colorblocking, and the “semi-palla,” abstract ball motif. Garfield is coached through the correct pronunciation of the word “Ellesse,” and of key Italian phrases.
He eventually masters the nuances, and his accent isn’t so bad either.
The campaign’s second episode, “Play It Like an Italian,” launches in early August. The focus shifts to the court and is meant to show tennis as an “expressive” sport. “Movement is fluid, instinctive and almost dance-like, leaning into the physicality, rhythm and theater of the game,” the brand said.
The final episode, “Style It Like ann Italian,” shows Garfield wearing pieces from the new fall 2026 collection.
Ellesse said the campaign signals a shift in creative direction. Pearch is known for his character-led storytelling and captures Garfield mid-moment with the aim of highlighting the “heritage and modern expressive energy” of the brand.
Jack Richardson, senior vice president, Ellesse, said, “Having Andrew tell the story brings real authenticity, along with the sense of cheek that should always define” the brand. The campaign launches globally this month.