Geox is an Italian brand of
shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
and
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
manufactured with
waterproof/breathable fabrics.
Corporate history
![Geox, Oxford Street, London, March 2016 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Geox%2C_Oxford_Street%2C_London%2C_March_2016_01.jpg)
The company was founded in 1995 by
Mario Polegato. The brand name, Geox, was created from a mixture between the Greek word “geo” (earth), and “x”, a letter-element symbolizing technology.
Polegato was born in 1952 near
Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
. Originally groomed to take over the family wine-making business, company promotional material has it that the idea for the shoe came when he participated in a wine industry conference in
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
; while out jogging in Reno's hot desert climate, his feet got hot from the exertion and he had the idea to cut a couple of holes in the soles of his shoes with a
Swiss Army knife.
He developed the idea into a viable product with the help of a small leather-goods business his family owned.
After unsuccessfully pitching his invention to several established footwear manufacturers, but after having passed the market testing phase for a line of children’s footwear, Polegato began large-scale production of shoes under the Geox brand name. That same year, he improved the original patent and extended the product range to men’s and women’s footwear.
Production sites are in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. In July 2021, Geox announced the closure of its Vranje plant in Serbia. The plant was opened in 2015. This closure will lead to the loss of 1,200 jobs.
Research and development
The Geox group has consistently invested in innovation, ever since it was founded. Its Montebelluna head offices are host to R&D facilities, which are unique in their kind. Here, 15 engineers, chemists and physicists are employed in research on perspiration and human-generated heat-movement patterns, testing all materials used in their footwear and manufacturing clothing.
The Montebelluna-based team of scientists have created and patented new machinery to help them pursue their research. Geox also works with major research labs and universities to test and refine new technology.
References
External links
*
Corporate site
{{Portal, Companies
* Geox Retailers
The Shoe Box of Knowle
Clothing manufacturers
Sportswear brands
Shoe brands
Clothing companies established in 1995
Retail companies established in 1995
Clothing brands of Italy
Sporting goods manufacturers of Italy
Shoe companies of Italy
Italian companies established in 1995
Companies based in Veneto
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020