August 16, 2011

Diadora

is an Italian sportswear and fashion accessory manufacturer.

Founder: Marcello Danieli

Owner: Geox S.p.A.

Diadora History

The company was started in 1948 when the company’s founder, Marcello Danieli, first began working in the trade as a young boy. Danieli, helped by his wife, managed to successfully launch his first product, mountain climbing boots. The mid-’70s marked the company’s entry into the football category. In June 2009, they reached an agreement with Italian shoe-making company Geox’s founder and chairman Mario Moretti Polegato to buy its assets.

Trivia:

The mid-’70s also marked the company’s entry into the football category, aided by Roberto Bettega, who provided invaluable consulting information. Diadora America is the #3 brand in the market share in football (soccer).
Danieli, helped by his wife, managed to successfully launch his first product, mountain climbing boots. During the fifties, a reputation for excellence and quality helped the company to grow and become a familiar name throughout the Italian market.During the economic boom of the sixties, people began to enjoy prosperity and increased recreation. Skiing became popular and Danieli once again met the needs of the market by manufacturing ski boots and the first apres-ski boots. Next, they introduced walking shoes and shortly thereafter, tennis shoes. With the seventies came a young generation whose explosive interest in athletics initiated a boom in the sporting goods industry. Based originally on the renowned Italian artisan techniques, their shoes became more and more technologically advanced, thanks to cooperation from champions such as Vilas, Mulligan, and the legendary Bjorn Borg.
Like Diadora, the athletes that wear their shoes are the champions of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Diadora does not boast a fabricated history, but a story of authenticity… a legitimate tale of a family business that started in Italy, grew in Italy, and is still proud to be manufacturing in Italy.