Diadora Essay, Research Paper

Diadora

First of all I’ll start out by telling you what Diadora is if you do not already know. Diadora is one of the best footwear and apparel manufacturers in the world. Diadora is one of the only footwear and apparel manufacturers to start in Italy and still be in Italy.

The story begins durring WWI, in the town of Caerano San Marco which is located in the Moontebelluna hills. The Italian army had many divisions stationed in Montello, and the surrounding areas. The citizens were happy to supply the soldiers with clothing and food, or whatever they needed, as long as they tried to end the war. Caerano San Marco is now famous for the manufacturing of athletic footwear, but it was originally known for making mountain climbing boots.

Marcello Danieli was a young man who was not old enough to enlist in the army, so like all other men his age, he left school to go and support his family. His chosen occupation was shoemaking. Marcello had a passion for the knowledge of shoemaking, and he became one of the most in-demand craftsmen in the area. He continued to make shoes for the next three decades and perfected the skill. Marcello got its big break when Italian cyclist Gino Bartali won the Tour de France wearing a pair of shoes that he had made for him. This gave him an overwhelming amount of business and he finally had enough money to start his own company.

He called his company “Diadora”. Diadora comes from a Greek phrase “dia dora” which means “by means of gifts”. But people think that it more likely came from the name given by the Greeks of Byzantium to the Dalmation town of Zadar. It was originally called “de ladera” but was mistakenly copied and translated from Dalmation to Latin, becoming “Diadora”. The company started out as just Marcello and his wife, and together they made the first product with the Diadora name, mountain climbing boots.

Durring the fifties, Diadora built a reputation for excellence and quality, which helped the company to grow and become a familiar name throughout the Italian market. During the sixties people started to increase recreational activities. Skiing became popular, and Marcello met the needs of the market and manufactured ski boots and the first apres-ski boots, but he always kept with his own criteria: elegance, comfort, performance, and durability. When plastic was introduced to ski boots, Danieli stopped making them because he felt that the value of handcrafting was lost. Shortly after that Diadora introduced walking shoes and then tennis shoes.

The seventies brought a young generation whose large interest in athletics started a large expansion in the sporting goods industry. Diadora’s shoes bacame more and more technologically advanced, thanks to the help from Vilas Mulligan and Bjorn Borg. Diadora first entered the soccer category in the mid seventies with the help of soccer great Roberto Bettega.

The continual expansion of shoe production and the technical research in new products also resulted in changes within the company. Marcello’s sons, Pierluigi, Roberto, and Diego became actively invoved up until June 30, 1998. On June 30, 1998 Diadora was bought by Invicta. Invicta is one of the leaders in outdoor gear. They specialize in backpacks, travel bags, apparel, accessories, and footwear. Diadora keeps very close with all of the top atheletes who wear Diadora shoes. All of them are involved with the company by providing advice, comments, suggestions and promos.

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