Superga Celebrates 100 Years of Its Signature 2750 Tennis Shoes
MILAN – It’s a milestone year for the Italian company BasicNet, which in 2025 is going to orchestrate celebrations for a slew of its brands, including Superga.
The latter is marking the 100th anniversary of the signature 2750 vulcanized rubber-soled tennis shoe, which has transcended its sports-leaning ethos to become synonymous with the nonchalant spirit of Italian style.
For starters, Swiss engineer Walter Martiny established the Walter Martiny Industria Gomma in 1911 in Turin. The company — later known as Superga — kicked off operations as a tire and rubber products manufacturer, but in 1913 it pivoted to the production of waterproof rubber boots, leveraging the vulcanization technology pioneered by Charles Goodyear in the U.S.
Watch on FN
In 1925, Martiny’s wife, a tennis enthusiast, suggested he try to produce the first tennis shoe with a vulcanized rubber sole to replace the easily damaged rope-soled footwear used on tennis courts in the ‘20s.
Little did Martiny know back then about the 2750’s trajectory and how it would gain fans among celebrities, royals and fashionistas alike, including Julia Roberts, Katie Holmes, Lily Collins and Kate Middleton.
One hundred years later, BasicNet, which acquired the brand in 2007, is kicking off anniversary celebrations of the signature 2750 design at Pitti Uomo, with more activations, including a new ad campaign, to be rolled out throughout the year.
At the menswear trade show, Superga is to unveil a celebratory iteration of the signature style. Dubbed “Superga 1925 Made in Italy” and produced in a limited run of 1,000 pieces, the shoe is handmade in Italy and is an exact replica of the original design, including the glue mark on the vulcanized sole, the original logo, “Superga Tennis Extra Made in Italy,” and insole.
Superga returned to Pitti Uomo last season after a four-year hiatus, teasing a retooling of the brand’s pillars that is coming full circle with the celebrations of the 2750 model, global brand manager and creative director Marco Tamponi explained.
“The great BasicNet skill is to acquire brands and be able to capitalize on their value,” he said.
The company spotted at least four pillars to leverage including rubber shoes, in sync with the brand’s roots as a rubber boot maker; the vulcanized shoe category, which the 2750 belongs to; sport-leaning footwear, and mountaineering styles.
“This will help us to spread the use of Supergas across 12 months compared to the past 10 years when business was largely dependent on the 2750 style used between April and October,” Tamponi explained.
This could sound counterintuitive in the year marking the 2750’s anniversary, but Tamponi believes that the signature shoe style has become not just an icon in design but also a symbol of the brand’s spirit. And the anniversary initiatives, the executive said, are aimed at cementing its “icon status.”
“We want to align it as close as possible to luxury, in that it represents the pinnacle of canvas shoes… [we want to] convey its positioning as affordable luxury, as an accessible icon,” he said.
The process includes loosening the 2750’s link with the world of vulcanized rubber shoes and strengthen its ownership of the “preppy-casual look,” he said. And the design team has veered away from patterns and motifs to focus on solids for the upcoming seasons.
The decision to unveil the first celebratory initiatives at Pitti Uomo illustrate Superga’s plans to raise its visibility among men. The 2750 is predominantly purchased by women and Tamponi hopes to change that, not just on the signature shoe but for the brand overall.
“We’re not necessarily looking at a perfectly even gender balance, but for sure we aim to boost our footprint in the men’s space,” he said.
The fall 2025 collection to be unveiled at Pitti Uomo this week will embrace the unisex concept already experimented with the 2750 design, with key new styles including the Rubber Mule and Capri Sport sneakers easily catering to both genders.
As part of its strategy, the brand is also looking at furthering its footprint globally, beyond Europe, its key market, as well as launch new shoe categories and new brand messaging, Tamponi said. BasicNet does not disclose a revenue breakdown for brands in its portfolio.
Superga leverages a mixed distribution model that encompasses direct operations in Italy and Germany and local partners elsewhere. In addition to a network of wholesale partners in the footwear and ready-to-wear or lifestyle spaces, the brand counts 95 flagships globally, 46 of which are in Italy. The latter including franchised units and 10 directly operated boutiques in Milan, Rome, Florence and Turin, among other cities. International doors in Paris, the Philippines and Singapore, among others, are operated by local partners.
