Diadora
45°46′52″N 12°00′33″E / 45.7812281°N 12.0092107°E
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | Italy (1948) |
| Founder | Marcello Danieli |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Owner | Geox S.p.A. |
| Website | www |
Diadora is an Italian sports clothing and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, Brazil, the United States, Hong Kong, Australia and Bangladesh.
History
Diadora is an Italian athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer, a tradition that began in 1948 when the company's founder, Marcello Danieli, first began working in the trade as a young boy.
He called his company "Diadora" a name suggested by a friend. In Greek, "dia dora" means "by means of gifts" which was appropriate, but probably not the origin of his friend's suggestion. More likely, it came from the name given by the Greeks of Byzantium to the Dalmatian town of Zadar. Originally called "de ladera" or "from Zadar," it was mistakenly copied and translated from Dalmatian to Latin, becoming, along the way "Diadora."[1]
Danieli, helped by his wife, managed to successfully launch his first product, mountain climbing boots.[2] 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 1960s, 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 1970s 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 Björn Borg.
The mid-'70s also marked Diadora's entry into the football category, aided by Roberto Bettega, who both provided invaluable consulting information. Diadora America is the #3 brand in the market share in football (soccer). AC Milan striker Marco van Basten became the face of the company in the late 1980s, and launched his own personalized football boots, the San Siro Van Basten.[3]
Diadora had and currently have a number of other high-profile football players under their sponsorship such as; George Weah, Roberto Baggio, Giuseppe Signori, Francesco Totti, Roy Keane and Antonio Cassano.
On 30 June 1998, Invicta, an outdoor athletics equipment company, was acquired by Diadora.[4]
In 2007, Diadora signed a contract with football club NK Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia. Sheffield Wednesday F.C. wore kits for several seasons in the mid 2000s. Maccabi Netanya and Beitar Jerusalem also wore kits for several seasons in the mid to late 2000s.[5][6] In 2016, Diadora signed contracts with FK Željezničar and Collingwood Magpies Netball.[7][8] in January of 2018 signed with Vasco da Gama one two most popular clubs of Brazil.[9]
Agreement
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.[10]
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.[11]
See also
Excludes articles found in Category:Sportswear brands.
Notes and references
- ^ "The history of Diadora". Football Shirt Culture. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ "History". Diadora America. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
- ^ "1980s Diadora San Siro Van Basten". Football Collectors Items.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "Diadora SpA | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "מכבי נתניה תלבש בעונה הבאה דיאדורה". 25 May 2009.
- ^ "גם דיאדורה תאמץ את בית"ר". 6 November 2001 – via Ynet.
- ^ "Stoljetni simboli osnovni elementi novih dresova Željezničara (FOTO+VIDEO)".
- ^ "Collingwood Netball team takes flight - collingwoodfc.com.au". collingwoodfc.com.au. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "Diadora scores Vasco da Gama kit supply deal - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Win Hanverky Forms Joint Venture Asserts Ownership of DIADORA Brand in the PRC, Hong Kong and Macau Market" (PDF) (Press release). Win Hanverky. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ Pagano, Margareta (21 June 2009). "Geox billionaire steps into Diadora". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
External links
- Use dmy dates from July 2011
- Geox
- Athletic shoe brands
- Clothing brands of Italy
- Clothing companies established in 1948
- Clothing companies of Italy
- Sporting goods manufacturers of Italy
- Italian brands
- Sportswear brands
- Privately held companies of Italy
- 1948 establishments in Italy
- Shoe brands
- Shoe companies of Italy
- Watch manufacturing companies of Italy
- Companies based in Veneto
- 1980s fashion
- 1990s fashion
- 2000s fashion
- 2010s fashion