The past, present and future of the mountaineering brand La Sportiva

La Sportiva has since the beginning famously supplied footwear to nearly any mountain activity you can think of and have been the preferred choice of local forest workers, mountain performance athletes and climbing expeditioners all the way up to the peak of Mount Everest. 

In recent years the interest in the outdoor world has exploded. People are spending much more time in various outdoor activities, the industry is booming and the demand for technical product to support the lifestyle has skyrocketed. Experiencing this shift in our relationship with nature and reacting to the challenges that naturally follow must be interesting for a company that surely have faced many great obstacles in the past hundred years since the founding of the company in 1928 by Narciso Delladio.

We had the opportunity to visit in La Sportiva's factory in Ziano di Fiemme, a charming little mountain village, far away from the hustling and bustling of the big, industrial cities of the North Italian Po-plains. Almost hidden from the outside world, located in a beautiful nature setting in green valleys surrounded by tall mountains, you can’t help but wonder how it is possible to run a global, market leading company in such wonderfully disconnected a place. While touring the impressive establishment we had the chance to explore this fascination and ask Francesco Delladio a few questions about the past, present and future of La Sportiva.

Francesco Delladio represents the fourth generation of the Delladio Family in La Sportiva. He grew up as a child breathing the atmosphere of the company, growing up side by side with the people who worked in La Sportiva and who, for the most part, he still works together with today.

“For me La Sportiva means passion, it means family, and above all it means home.”

For the last three years he’s been working as Product Manager for the Climbing, Mountaineering and Approach Footwear categories; the core businesses of the brand and above all the product categories with most historicity and heritage. And for a company that is still 100 percent family-run: heritage and passion are pillars that daily support and guide him and his colleagues.

The outdoor industry is constantly evolving. How do you see this evolution, and what do you do to adapt to the changes?

– We were born and raised in the mountains, and so we perfectly know the well-being that a simple walk in the woods or a climb on a crag can bring. The speed and complexity of the current world have led many people to discover the outdoor environment which is so strikingly beautiful and relaxing.

We have witnessed a boom in the outdoor market in the last 10 years. Areas like Mountain Hiking and Mountain Running have become almost mainstream sports. Climbing has shifted from being a niche sport practiced by very few to a trendy sport, and it is expanding day by day within big cities thanks to climbing gyms. Even ski mountaineering has experienced a revival, attracting thousands of new users, says Francesco.

“The most important thing for a company that holds the mountains in its heart as well as in its logo is to convey to its users respect for the environment in which the sports we love and they love can be practiced.”

– It's wonderful to see more and more people becoming passionate about what we love, but it's crucial to make them understand that the mountains, forests, and climbing walls must be respected and cared for to be enjoyed by those who come after us. I believe this is a fundamental role for all companies in the outdoor sector, and especially for those recognized as reference points by end users.

What is the challenge you’re personally most motivated to take on and try solving?

– The objective is quite simple to explain, La Sportiva wants to succeed in evolving and adapting to the world market and needs, remaining a point of reference for all mountain sports enthusiasts spread around the planet, developing products that allow our fans to experience the mountains safely and with passion. All this, however, must be done while keeping our values intact, the values of a family business, rooted and extremely tied to the territory in which it was born and spurred on by the desire to search for unexplored paths, innovate and succeed in surprising.

“La Sportiva wants to remain a point of reference for all mountain sports enthusiasts spread around the planet.”

– Combining these two goals is an exciting challenge but not an easy one. We must face the future while remembering the path that the company and its employees have already taken over the past 95 years.

As I mentioned earlier, my sister and I have naturally inherited many traits and values from previous generations. And like us, our colleagues have also been inspired by the company's history and the stories about our products and about the athletes who have made history in mountaineering and climbing with our products. I believe that a sort of magical formula has been created within La Sportiva, a recipe through which the DNA that has shaped our company over the past 95 years is now breathed and interpreted by those who must develop products for the future.

– The sustainability path of La Sportiva is composed of different pillars: product, value chain, environment, social, and governance. Repair and regeneration of products are today one of the strongest keys to achieving more sustainable products with longer lifecycles. According to a Life Cycle Assessment-analysis we conducted, resoling a climbing shoe allows us to avoid roughly 90% of CO2 emissions compared to producing a new one.

Resoling has always been part of La Sportiva's DNA.

– Just think that when La Sportiva was founded in 1928, my great-grandfather Narciso mainly used to resole and repair boots for lumberjacks and mountain workers in the Fiemme and Fassa Valley. With the growth of climbing, the demand for resoling has increased exponentially. In order to be able to offer a more prompt and timely service therefore, we started a training and education program offered to the best cobblers in Europe.

Francesco adds: 

– Starting from October 2023, our resole and repair workshop has moved to a new building, next to our factory in Ziano, in order to be able to further increase the level of service offered. This is a real workshop where our customers' shoes are resoled by our best artisans, using only: raw materials, lasts and machinery identical to those used during their production.

How does it feel to carry forward a company with such a heavy legacy?

– There is definitely a strong feeling of responsibility. Responsibility to my colleagues, to the community of Val di Fiemme (the valley where La Sportiva is still based today and where we produce our climbing shoes and mountaineering boots), and responsibility to the generations that preceded mine.

These 3 generations have managed, with hard work and passion, to create something unique and almost magical.

– My sister and I are lucky enough to have inherited, in a completely spontaneous and natural way, the values that founded and made the company grow. There are many challenges to continue to keep these values strong and alive, but this fortunately, is still experienced as a beautiful motivation.