Meet the fourth generation of the family-owned footwear company, La Sportiva. Giulia Delladio is the next in line and will be the first woman to lead the family business out of Val di Fiemme, Italy. We sat down with her to hear about the history of this iconic climbing and outdoor brand and her thoughts about the future.
1. What makes La Sportiva stand out from other brands?
La Sportiva differs from other outdoor companies in that we design and produce mountaineering products in the middle of the mountains. Our location in Val di Fiemme easily allows us to be the first testers of our products in varied outdoor terrain, and lets us continue to improve our standards in order to satisfy (also surprise!) the final consumers. Everything is made with passion in the middle of the mountains.
2. What is your favorite piece of La Sportiva gear? Why?
This is the most difficult question ever! I’m really not able to reply—every single piece is a creation with its own story made of people, thoughts, dreams, madness, changes and memories. I cannot have one favorite!
3. What do you love most about your job?
I love to see things evolving before my very eyes. There is a lot of planning, forecasting and data analysis behind the development of every collection and every product. I’m lucky enough to open the door behind my desk and see the real deal happening: the heart of our company, the production floor. I’m totally fascinated by how a project can become a beautiful mountaineering tool that will make somebody happy in the mountains. I really like following every single step that transforms a project, an idea, a dream into a product.
4. What makes the people who work in the factory so important to the brand?
La Sportiva is a company made of people. Every single person plays a key role in the company’s magic mechanism. Most of the people working at La Sportiva belong to the region where the company was founded almost 90 years ago. They know the story, they followed the growth of the company and some of them grew up with the company. There are different generations of the same families working…
