Calzaturificio Fratelli Soldini SpA is an Italian footwear manufacturer founded in Arezzo in 1945.
History
In the spring of 1944, following a tip off, the Germans confiscated a machine for sewing shoes, belonging to the Soldini family. The machine was redeemed a few days later by Gustavo Soldini.[1] Thanks to that machine, in 1945, Gustavo, together with his brothers Giuseppe and Ermenegildo began making shoes, first in a small area of their home and then in their first workshop. The market of reference was initially Arezzo and Florence, while the deliveries were made by bicycle during the weekend.
In the 1950s, Soldini opened his first factory in Capolona, on the banks of the River Arno, and then a second factory in Anghiari which marked the shift in production from small business to industry, with a workforce of over 800. The product was orientated towards the national marketplace, but also to the United States. To meet demand, another factory was opened in Malta, which carried on working until 2000.
In the 1980s, the United States market saw the development of competition with South American manufacturers, especially in Brazil; in the 1990s, competition grew further with the arrival of emerging