Diadora is an Italian sportswear and

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...

manufacturing company based in

Caerano di San Marco Caerano di San Marco, or simply Caerano, is a town with 7,813 inhabitants in the province of Treviso. The territory is largely flat, with altitudes ranging from 91 m a.s.l. at 144 m. The landscape is characterized by the presence of a small relief ...

( Veneto), subsidiary of

Geox Geox is an Italian brand of shoe and clothing manufactured with waterproof/breathable fabrics. Corporate history The company was founded in 1995 by Mario Polegato. The brand name, Geox, was created from a mixture between the Greek word “g ...

, founded in 1948. Diadora produces

football boot Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are an item of footwear worn when playing association football. Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football ...

s and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes t-shirts,

polo shirts A polo shirt, tennis shirt, golf shirt, or chukker shirt is a form of shirt with a collar. Polo shirts are usually short sleeved but can be long; they were used by polo players originally in India in 1859 and in Great Britain during the 1920s. ...

, hoodies,

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which ...

s, leggings, shorts, and compression garments. Diadora also commercialises

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

balls in the US market.Balls
on Diadora Soccer, 15 August 2020

History

Origins and development

Diadora was founded in 1948 by Marcello Danieli, who first began working in the trade as a young boy. He called his company "Diadora" a name suggested by a friend. The word comes from the name given by the Greeks of Byzantium to the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

n 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."Empresa
on Diadora website (in Spanish) Danieli, helped by his wife, managed to successfully launch his first product,

mountain climbing Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

boots. The mid-1970s also marked Diadora's entry into the

category, aided by Roberto Bettega, who provided consulting information. The company also added the tennis market signing endorsement agreements with

Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg (; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player. Between 1974 and 1981, he became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles with six at the French Open and five consecutively at Wimb ...

. AC Milan striker

Marco van Basten Marcel "Marco" van Basten (; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch football manager and retired professional player, who played for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team, as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pl ...

became the face of the company in the late 1980s, and launched his own personalized

s, the San Siro Van Basten. Other high-profile football players under Diadora sponsorship have included George Weah,

Roberto Baggio Roberto Baggio (; born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former pre ...

Giuseppe Signori Giuseppe "Beppe" Signori (; born 17 February 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for several clubs in Italy throughout his career, and also had spells in Greece and Hungary with Iraklis Thessal ...

, Francesco Totti,

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...

and Antonio Cassano. While between 1997 and 2000, Diadora was the official kit supplier of A.S. Roma.

The 2000s

In early 2000's Diadora was the official kit supplier of several Italian football clubs, with the most notable being A.S. Roma, between 2003 and 2007. In 2008, Diadora SpA signed a joint venture with Win Hanverky Holdings Limited, forming a new company called "Winor International Company Limited" that operates the trademark "Diadora" in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Hong Kong, and Macau to manufacture, design, promote, distribute, and sell products bearing the brand in those countries. In June 2009, Diadora reached an agreement with Italian shoe-making company

's founder and chairman Mario Moretti Polegato to buy its assets through his family's investment arm, LIR. Since then, Diadora has sponsored several football clubs to provide them team uniforms, such as Norwegian Eliteserien clubs, Viking FK, FK Bodo/Glimt, and I-League side Rangdajied United.Rangdajied United profile
''Facebook.com''. Retrieved 30 June 2021 In this last season 2021/2022 Diadora Launched in Canada and sponsoring

Dynamo de Candiac Club "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...

. From the 2022–2023 season, Diadora become the new technical supplier of

Giresunspor Giresunspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Giresun. It was founded in 1925 and re-formed in 1967 after the merger of Yeşiltepespor, Akıngençlikspor, and Beşiktaşspor. The football club is playing in the Turkish S ...

at the Süper Lig, and also

Mağusa Türk Gücü Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under t ...

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

KTFF Süper Lig The KTFF Süper Lig (English: CTFA Super League), formerly known as Birinci Lig ( literally ''First League'') is the top football league in Northern Cyprus. The league was founded in 1955 and is currently contested by 16 teams. At the end of ...

. Even from the same season Diadora will be present on the

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...

like supplier of Helsingør and Vendsyssel at the NordicBet Liga. At March 2022 the n. 10 WTA Italian player Martina Trevisan has become new brand Ambassador.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 45.7812281, 12.0092107, display=title Geox Athletic shoe brands Clothing companies established in 1948 Sporting goods manufacturers of Italy Italian brands Sportswear brands Privately held companies of Italy Italian companies established in 1948 Shoe brands Shoe companies of Italy Companies based in Veneto 1980s fashion 1990s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020