10 Things You Didn’t Know about Diadora

Diadora is an Italian manufacturer of athletic shoes, clothing, and fashion accessories. Primarily, it is best-known in its homeland. However, it is important to note that its market presence has expanded far beyond those borders, as shown by the fact that its products can be found on no fewer than four continents. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Diadora:

1. Founded By Marcello Danieli

An Italian man named Marcello Danieli was the one who founded Diadora in 1948. He had a fair amount of expertise and experience in the manufacturing of shoes and clothing, seeing as how he had been involved in that line of business since he was still a boy.

2. Might Mean “By Means of Gifts”

Danieli wasn’t the one who came up with the name for Diadora. Instead, he was suggested the name by one of his friends. It is unknown why Danieli’s friend proposed Diadora, but it is possible that it was supposed to be a Greek term that can be translated to something along the lines of “By Means of Gifts.”

3. Might Mean “From Zadar”

However, there are a lot of people who are skeptical that Diadora comes from that particular Greek phrase. In their case, they suspect that it comes from a corruption of “De Ladera,” which means “From Zadar.” For those who are unfamiliar with that name, Zadar refers to a Dalmatian town that is now recognized as the oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in the whole of Croatia.

4. First Products Were Mountain Climbing Boots

The very first products made by Diadora were mountain climbing boots. Something that was made possible by plenty of help from Danieli’s wife.

5. Product Range Expanded Bit By Bit

As time passed, Diadora expanded its product range bit by bit. For example, it was in the 1960s that Diadora launched both ski boots and apres-ski boots. Soon enough, these were followed up by running shoes, tennis shoes, and other products for other sports.

6. Developed a Reputation for Excellence

With that said, Diadora’s success in those times would not have been possible without the reputation of excellence that it had managed to cultivate in its earliest decades of existence. After all, it was that excellence that enabled the spread of its name throughout the Italian market, which in turn, made it that much easier for it to sell its products to a receptive customer base.

7. Benefited from Italian Trends

Naturally, Diadora benefited a great deal from Italian trends. For example, it started making skiing products in the 1960s because there was an economic boom in that period that encouraged Italians to become more interested in recreational pursuits. Likewise, Diadora picked up a lot of talent in the 1970s because of a massive surge in athletics in the Italian youth in that period.

8. Entered Football Market in the Mid 1970s

In the mid 1970s, Diadora took the significant step of entering the football market, which is huge in its homeland for obvious reasons. In this, Diadora was helped out by a former footballer named Roberto Bettega, who provided it with a great deal of useful information while in consultation. Ever since that time, Diadora has remained very involved with football, as shown by the number of famous footballers that it continues to sponsor.

9. Has a Joint Venture with Win Hanverky Holdings Limited

Diadora has a joint venture set up with Win Hanverky Holdings Limited. Said venture owns the “DIADORA” trademark in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. As such, it is responsible for manufacturing, marketing, and selling such products in those regions.

10. Owned By Geox

It is interesting to note that Diadora is a private corporation owned by Geox even though Geox wasn’t founded until 1995. Primarily, people will be familiar with Geox because of the breathable fabrics used to make its shoes as well as its other products. Supposedly, the founder came up with the concept of his first product by cutting a few holes in the soles of his shoes with a Swiss Army knife when he was out jogging in the desert surrounding Reno, but since that comes from Geox’s marketing material, it is unclear how much that particular account can be believed.

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