Diadora

Diadora
Type	Private
Founded	1948 in Veneto
Headquarters	Giavera del Montello
Key people	Marcello Danieli
Industry	Sportswear and Sports Goods
Products	Footwear; Sportswear; Accessories
Revenue	Unknown
Website	www.diadora.com

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Diadora is an Italian football, tennis, running, cycling, rugby, athletic shoe, clothing, and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, the United States, and Hong Kong.

[edit] History

Diadora is the only Italian athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer to still make some of its products in Italy, a tradition that began 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^[1]. During the 1950s, a reputation for excellence and quality helped the company grow and become a familiar name throughout the Italian market.

During the economic boom of the '60s, 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, Diadora introduced running shoes and shortly thereafter, tennis shoes. With the '70s 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, Diadora's shoes became more and more technologically advanced, thanks to cooperation from champions such as Guillermo Vilas, Martin Mulligan, and the legendary Björn Borg.

The mid-'70s also marked Diadora'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).

On 30 June 1998, Invicta, an outdoor athletics equipment, company was acquired by Diadora.

In 2008, Diadora SpA signed a joint venture with Win Hanverky Holdings Limited forming a new company called Winor International Company Limited that owns the trademark "DIADORA" in China, Hong Kong, and Macau and will manufacture, design, promote, distribute, and sell products bearing the "DIADORA" in those countries.^[2]

In June 2009, Diadora reached an agreement with Italian shoe-making company Geox's founder and chairman Mario Moretti Polegato to buy its assets through his family's investment arm, LIR.

[edit] Referee kit

Diadora supplies referees kits in the Italian Serie A, Serie B, Scottish Premier League, Divisions One, Two and Three and all lower levels of football throughout Scotland, and the Romanian Liga I, Liga II.