Leonisa is a

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

n clothing company manufacturing and selling lingerie, shapewear, swimwear, underwear, and activewear for both men and women.

History

Leonisa was established in November 1956 by the Urrea brothers, Joaquin Eduardo and Julio Ernesto, who specialized in women's

innerwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

. After establishing their first manufacturing plant, the brothers created “The Diamond Point Bra”. Leonisa began retail sales in 1956. These consist of Leonisa Stores,

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

s, factory outlets,

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, includin ...

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

s, and specialty apparel stores. As of 2014, there were retail stores in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

, and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. In 1965, Leonisa built a manufacturing plant in

to meet the demands of Central American markets. In 1989, Leonisa entered the

European market The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...

first in Spain, later expanding to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In 1993, Leonisa launched the “Magic Up” brassiere. The same year, they created a catalog sales channel to sell Leonisa garments directly to customers on a monthly basis. The catalog sales channel operates in the United States,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico. Leonisa has sponsored the

Miss Colombia Miss Colombia (Formally ''Concurso Nacional de Belleza de Colombia'', English: ''"National Beauty Contest of Colombia"'') is the national beauty pageant organization in Colombia. The current Miss Colombia is Sofía Osío Luna of Atlánti ...

swimwear category since 2007. Each year, Leonisa develops swimwear campaigns focused on Miss Colombia. Leonisa also sponsored

Miss Panama Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...

in 2009 and 2010. In June 2009, Leonisa introduced their online store, initially intended for the US and Canadian markets. In February 2020, Leonisa partnered with

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ...

in a deal that makes Leonisa's shapewear available to Victoria's Secret online customers with the possibility of expanding into Victoria's Secret retail outlets.

Products

Women’s intimate apparel

Leonisa has product lines for shapewear, bras and panties, including collections that meet specific needs, like

postpartum The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to end within 6 weeks as the mother's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state. The terms puerperium, puerperal pe ...

and post-surgical shapewear and sports underwear. In 2009, Leonisa introduced a brand that targets girls and women between the ages of 14 and 25. Leonisa is known for its shapewear, featuring four different compression levels, each employing Leonisa's trademark compression technology. In 2012, the company launched a new line of smart fabric shapewear and post-surgical compression garments.

Swimwear

Launched in the 1990s, the swimwear line includes basic swimwear,

one-piece swimsuit A one-piece swimsuit most commonly refers to swimwear worn primarily by women and girls when swimming in the sea or in a swimming pool, playing water polo, or for any activity in the sun, such as sun bathing. Today, the one-piece swimsuit is usua ...

s, control and slimming swimwear, push up swimsuit tops and cover ups, and other products.

LEO

Leonisa launched its first men's underwear collection in 1975 under the Airell brand. In the 1980s, this men's line was re-branded as LEO. The LEO brand offers men's underwear and shapewear, including three levels of compression.

Activewear

Leonisa has activewear lines for both women and for men. Leonisa ActiveLife and Leo ActiveLife includes breathable underwear, leggings (often with incorporated shaping fabric such as DuraFit' and PowerSlim'), and sports bras.

Campaigns

Leonisa has partnered with health companies in a campaign against

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

seeking to raise awareness among women about the importance of early detection. As a part of this campaign, Leonisa developed educational teams in schools, universities, and shopping centers. The company also developed the app “Leonisa Takes Care of You” to remind women of the right time to do their breast self-exam.

Awards

2001 - Lyon Mode City, Best new design 2006 - Antioquia's Shield, Gold Category 2007 - Cromos Fashion Awards - Best Brand Runway 2010 - Colombia Spain Award - Best Company of the Year

External links

2010 - WWD Magazine �
Celebrities Energize Shapewear Market
2014 - Sports Illustrated
The latest swimwear styles for Leonisa
modelled by

Nina Agdal Nina Brohus Agdal (born 26 March 1992) is a Danish model known for her appearances in the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' and, alongside Chrissy Teigen and Lily Aldridge, appeared on the 50th anniversary cover in 2014. Early life Agdal w ...

References

{{Reflist, 2 Lingerie brands Lingerie retailers Swimwear brands Underwear brands Clothing brands Clothing companies of Colombia Clothing companies established in 1956 1956 establishments in Colombia Colombian brands