Laila Coslovich - Luxury Tennis Couture: A Dream Stitched in Sicily
Every Great Story Begins Long Before We Realise It
Every time I sit at my father's drafting table to sketch a new tennis dress, I realise that I am creating much more than a garment.
I am carrying forward a story that spans generations—one shaped by craftsmanship, precision, passion, and family.
Behind every Laila Coslovich dress lies far more than fabric, patterns, or creative inspiration.
It is the result of a family legacy shaped by engineers, architects, surveyors, master tailors, and extraordinary women who, each in their own way, taught me the value of beauty, precision, and work done with care.
If today I design Made in Italy tailored tennis dresses inspired by Italian elegance, it is because I am continuing a journey that began long before the Laila Coslovich brand ever existed.
My Roots: The Technical Precision of the Coslovi Longo Family
From my father's side of the family, I inherited a passion for technical drawing, architectural precision, and technical design.
My grandfather, Salvatore Longo, was born in Giardini Naxos and became the first engineering graduate from his hometown in the 1920s.
After graduating in Padua, he returned to Sicily, where his achievement was celebrated by the local authorities and even the town band—an extraordinary tribute that reflected the importance such an accomplishment held at the time.
He later worked for many years in Trieste before eventually settling in Taormina with my grandmother, Emilia Coslovi, after the Second World War.
My father, Salvatore Coslovi Longo, is a surveyor who studied Architecture alongside my mother, Antonella Russotti. For more than sixty years, he has run the family firm with remarkable professionalism, expertise, and dedication.
From him, I inherited not only my love of technical drawing but also a lifelong familiarity with the tools that surrounded my childhood: rulers, set squares, drawing tools, drafting machines, and drawing boards.
As a little girl, I would spend hours watching him work.
I was fascinated by the precision of every line and by the silent dialogue between creativity and discipline that unfolded across the drawing board.
Today, that very same drafting table has become my creative studio.
Where architectural plans once took shape, I now sketch new collections, cut fabrics, and develop patterns for my tennis dresses.
Every time I sit there, I feel connected to something much greater than myself—a legacy that unites past and future through creativity.
The Story Behind the Name Laila Coslovich
Even the name of my brand carries a piece of my family's history.
Coslovich was my grandmother Emilia's original surname.
She was born in Istria before later moving to Sicily.
Like many families from that region, her surname was Italianised during the Fascist period.
When I chose the name Laila Coslovich, I wanted to reclaim that part of my family's identity and honour the generations who came before me.
The suffix "-ich", common in Slavic languages, evokes, to me, the meaning of "daughter of." It has become a deeply personal symbol of belonging, memory, and gratitude.
It is my tribute to the roots that helped shape the woman I am today.
The Tailoring Heritage of the Russotti Family
If my father's family taught me technical precision, my mother's family introduced me to the timeless beauty of Italian tailoring.
My great-grandparents owned two tailoring ateliers.
One specialised in bespoke bridal gowns and was run by my great-grandmother, Nina.
The other, Sartoria Russotti, became one of the most respected men's tailoring houses in Taormina.
My great-grandfather, Giuseppe Russotti, and his son, Angelo, created bespoke suits, morning coats, and tuxedos for distinguished clients from across Europe.
At a time when clothing represented far more than fashion, Sartoria Russotti became synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail.
Growing up, I was surrounded by beautiful fabrics, elegant proportions, and a profound respect for craftsmanship.
My grandfather, Francesco Russotti, and his brother, Angelo, taught me that true elegance never depends on excess.
It is born from harmony, quality, and simplicity.
When I Played at Being a Fashion Designer
Fashion entered my life at a very young age.
As a child, I spent entire afternoons drawing clothes on sheets of paper. I imagined dresses, colours, and details, never knowing that one day this passion would become part of my work.
Beside me was my grandmother, Ida Giovanna Longo.
I drew.
She sewed.
With patience and extraordinary skill, she transformed my sketches into real little garments, bringing to life the dreams of a little girl who loved creating imaginary worlds through fashion.
Even today, I consider those moments among my most treasured childhood memories.
They taught me that creativity can become reality and that ideas, when nurtured with love and determination, can become something tangible.
My Mother's Support
If I still believe in my dreams today, even during the most challenging moments, I owe much of that to my mother.
Antonella Russotti instilled in me a love of beauty, an appreciation for aesthetics, and a deep belief in the power of creativity.
She has always been one of the people who encouraged me most to follow my own path, and she continues to support me in many aspects of the brand's communication and marketing.
Her constant presence has been, and continues to be, an important part of the journey I am building.
The Birth of My Technical Tailoring
Over time, I realised that my path belonged neither exclusively to the world of fashion nor solely to the world of technical design.
It belonged to both.
From this realisation came what I like to call Technical Atelier —an approach that combines the geometric precision inherited from my father's family with the sartorial creativity passed down through my mother's family.
Whenever I design a new tennis dress, I apply the same attention to proportion, line, and balance that I learned by watching my father at work.
Whenever I create a prototype, I carry forward a tailoring tradition that has been handed down through generations.
Every garment is born from the meeting of technique and artistry, precision and emotion, innovation and tradition.
Taormina, the Sea, and Mount Etna: The Soul of My Collections
There is another great protagonist in this story:
Sicily.
Taormina is my home.
The colours of the sea, the brilliant light of summer days, the majesty of Mount Etna, and the extraordinary craftsmanship of my homeland have profoundly influenced the way I design.
Many of the colour combinations found in my collections are inspired directly by the landscape that surrounds me.
The sunsets over the sea, the changing colours of the sky, the hues of Mediterranean vegetation, and the power of Sicilian nature are a constant source of inspiration.
The technical fabrics I use for my summer collections are also exceptionally lightweight, making them particularly well suited to hot climates like Sicily.
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For this reason, every Laila Coslovich collection carries a piece of Sicily.
A Dream Born in Sicily, Created for the World
When I created Laila Coslovich, I didn't simply want to design tennis dresses.
I wanted to create something that could tell a story.
The story of a family.
The story of a land.
The story of a woman who chose to combine her passions for tennis, fashion, and Italian craftsmanship.
My dream is to bring these dresses, born in the heart of Sicily, to women all over the world.
Not simply to offer a product, but to share a vision of elegance, authenticity, sustainability, and belonging.
Because behind every Laila Coslovich dress there is much more than carefully stitched fabric.
There is a story.
And it is a story that continues to be written every single day.
Discover the Laila Coslovich Tennis Dress Collection
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Laila Coslovich, and what is her story?
Laila Coslovi Longo is the founder and designer of the Laila Coslovich brand. Born and raised in Taormina, Sicily, she combined her maternal family's tailoring heritage—Sartoria Russotti of Taormina—with the technical precision inherited from her father, a surveyor, to create a collection of Made in Italy tailored tennis dresses.
Why is the brand called Laila Coslovich?
Coslovich was the original surname of Laila's grandmother, Emilia, who was born in Istria and later moved to Sicily with Laila's paternal grandfather after the Second World War. Like many surnames from that region, it was Italianised during the Fascist period. By choosing Laila Coslovich as the brand name, Laila wanted to reclaim and honour this important part of her family heritage. To her, the suffix "-ich" evokes the meaning of "daughter of" and symbolises belonging, memory, and gratitude.
Where are Laila Coslovich tennis dresses created?
Every collection is designed in Taormina, Sicily, where Laila creates each new design at her family's historic drafting table. The colours of the Mediterranean Sea, the light of Mount Etna, and Sicily's rich artisanal tradition provide constant inspiration for every collection.
What is the philosophy behind the Laila Coslovich brand?
The philosophy of Laila Coslovich is born from the meeting of technique and artistry, combining geometric precision with Italian sartorial craftsmanship. Every tennis dress is created for women who want to feel elegant, feminine, and unique on the court without compromising on quality, sustainability, or the excellence of Made in Italy.