Tecnica

In the 1930s, Oreste Zanatta founded a shoe production facility in Montebelluna, Italy, the heart of the world's leading shoe manufacturing district. In 1960, it became Calzaturificio Tecnica Spa and initially produced mainly work and hiking boots. At the end of the sixties, skiing experienced a rapid boom in Italy and Tecnica was inspired by this. The Moon Boot, a winter boot with the look of an astronaut boot worn by the Apollo crew, launched in 1970, became a bestseller. It symbolized Tecnica's success and has been the umbrella term for après-ski shoes ever since. From then on, they focused on technical ski boots and in the 1970s they introduced the Tecnus, the first double-foamed plastic ski boot, which revolutionized the market. Followed by the TNT line developed in the 1980s, Tecnica also secured a leading position in the ski boots sector. In the mid-1980s, they launched their first outdoor shoe collection, which soon became the main segment of their product range. In 1993, they were the first Italian company to take over a German company in this sector: they acquired LOWA, the renowned manufacturer of recreation and hiking boots in the high-quality market segment. In 1998, Tecnica takes over the historic company Dolomite: over a hundred years of experience combined with legendary mountaineering achievements, such as the first ascent of K2. This is how the Tecnica Group is born, today, with the brands Tecnica, Moon Boot, LOWA, Blizzard, Dolomite, Nordica, and Rollerblade. They are able to confirm their title as the world market leader in après-ski shoes and become the third largest producer of ski boots. New, groundbreaking technologies follow in 2002: HotForm, an innovative system in which the inner shoe can be perfectly adapted to the individual foot shape using heat, and Rapid Access, an ingenious closure mechanism for opening the shoes which surpasses all previous systems in terms of comfort when putting on and taking off. The brand always manages to keep its finger on the pulse and get the maximum power out of every single product. This consistency has enabled the company to achieve a market-leading position in their ski boots, winter boots and hiking shoes/boots ranges. Their attention and affinity for the needs of the end consumer is the cornerstone of their success. As a result, they have earned numerous awards, such as the prestigious ISPO Award 2014, which was presented to the Tecnica Mach1 130 ski boots at the most important international sporting goods trade fair. Tecnica's figurehead, ski racer Mario Matt, brought them brilliant attention with his gold medal in the special slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sotchi. The guiding principle of Tecnica founder Zanatta can still be felt in the company philosophy today: "The passion for the hard job and the desire to always improve and remain innovative. These are the most important values in my life"