# Ellesse > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ellesse > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ellesse.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellesse > Source revision: 1353538549 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Italian sports apparel company For people, see [Ellesse (given name)](/source/Ellesse_(given_name)). Ellesse Type Subsidiary Industry Sports equipment Founded 19 June 1959; 67 years ago (1959-06-19), in Perugia, Italy Founder Leonardo Servadio Headquarters London , England, United Kingdom Area served Worldwide Products Sportswear, footwear Parent Pentland Group Website ellesse.com **Ellesse** is an Italian sport apparel company originally founded in 1959 in [Umbria](/source/Umbria), Italy. It has been part of the British [Pentland Group](/source/Pentland_Group) since 1987. ## History Leonardo Servadio, founder of Ellesse Ellesse was founded by Leonardo "Mantis" Servadio on 19 June 1959 in [Perugia](/source/Perugia), Umbria, Italy. The name Ellesse derives from Servadio's initials, "L.S.",[1] which are spoken "elle" and "esse" in Italian. Ellesse grew in popularity during the 1970s as a producer of skiwear, such as quilted jackets and ski pants. In 1979, Ellesse's Jet Pant, a ski pant featuring padded knees and a wide lower leg to fit around a ski boot, was included in an event at the [Pompidou Centre](/source/Pompidou_Centre) in Paris celebrating Italian design.[2] Another sport with which Ellesse has been closely associated since its early years is tennis. The Ellesse logo references the form of a tennis ball with the shape of the tips of a pair of skis. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Ellesse gained a reputation for combining sportswear functionality with street-level fashion styling. It was one of the first sportswear brands to feature their logo prominently on the outside of their garments. During the mid-1980s, French designer [Jean-Charles de Castelbajac](/source/Jean-Charles_de_Castelbajac) worked with Ellesse, an early collaboration between a sportswear company and a fashion designer. The UK [casuals](/source/Casual_(subculture)) adopted the brand in the 1980s as premium sportswear took off across British [lad culture](/source/Lad_culture). ## Celebrity endorsements A number of sports celebrities have endorsed Ellesse, including [tennis](/source/Tennis) players [Tommy Haas](/source/Tommy_Haas), [Chris Evert](/source/Chris_Evert), [Guillermo Vilas](/source/Guillermo_Vilas), [Boris Becker](/source/Boris_Becker), [Mats Wilander](/source/Mats_Wilander), [Pat Cash](/source/Pat_Cash), [Arantxa Sánchez](/source/Arantxa_S%C3%A1nchez), [Anna Kournikova](/source/Anna_Kournikova) and [Jose Vilela](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jose_Vilela&action=edit&redlink=1), skiers [Marc Girardelli](/source/Marc_Girardelli) and [Jean-Luc Crétier](/source/Jean-Luc_Cr%C3%A9tier), and [Formula 1](/source/Formula_One) driver [Alain Prost](/source/Alain_Prost). Other celebrities associated with the brand include boxer [Muhammad Ali](/source/Muhammad_Ali), [Natas Kaupas](/source/Natas_Kaupas) and [Maurice Cheeks](/source/Maurice_Cheeks), and actors [Brigitte Nielsen](/source/Brigitte_Nielsen) and [Roger Moore](/source/Roger_Moore). Ellesse also ventured into football sponsorship, and it manufactured the kits for the [New York Cosmos](/source/New_York_Cosmos_(1971%E2%80%931985)) in the 1980s. In October 2021, Elesse partnered with the YouTube group [The Sidemen](/source/Sidemen_(YouTube_group)) in a collaboration with their own clothing brand, SDMN. ## Purchase by Pentland Group In 1994, British brand management company [Pentland Group](/source/Pentland_Group) purchased 90% of the shares of Ellesse for £20 million. Pentland had been Ellesse's UK distributor since 1981. Servadio retained 10% of the shares.[3] Pentland Group also owns other well-known sportswear brands, such as [Berghaus](/source/Berghaus) and [Speedo](/source/Speedo).[4] It currently licenses the Ellesse brand to partners in countries around the world, who manufacture and distribute Ellesse products in their territory. Ellesse celebrated its 50th anniversary with a party in [Rome](/source/Rome) in July 2009. ## See also - [Italy portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Italy) - [Company portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Company) - [Diadora](/source/Diadora) - [Erreà](/source/Erre%C3%A0) - [Fila](/source/Fila_(company)) - [Kappa](/source/Kappa_(brand)) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["ellesse"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180615052414/http://www.ellesse.com/about). 7 November 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.ellesse.com/about) on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Ellesse: Did You Know?](http://www.ellesse.com/press-room/did-you-know.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20091106153855/http://www.ellesse.com/press-room/did-you-know.aspx) 2009-11-06 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Retrieved 2009-11-04 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Pentland Group spends pounds 20m on Italian sportswear manufacturer: UK company in charge after 13-year link with Ellesse (5 January 1994)](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/pentland-group-spends-pounds-20m-on-italian-sportswear-manufacturer-uk-company-in-charge-after-13year-link-with-ellesse-1404922.html) Retrieved 2009-11-04 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Our Brands](http://www.pentland.com/our-brands.html) Retrieved 2009-11-04 ## External links - [Official website](http://ellesse.com) - [Pentland Group website](http://www.pentland.com/brands/ellesse/) - [Interviews with Leonardo Servadio](http://www.fitnesschic.it/interview/leonardo_servadio.html/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160306195709/http://www.fitnesschic.it/interview/leonardo_servadio.html) 2016-03-06 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) v t e Sports equipment brands This list includes companies that produce sports equipment. List by sport include only current products manufactured Multi-sports Adidas Admiral AFA Anta Arc'teryx Asics Atletica BLK Burley-Sekem Castore Champion Charly Classic Diadora Erke Erreà EvoShield Fanatics FBT Fila Fischer 4F Garcis Givova Grand Sport Grays Head Hummel ISC Jako Joma Kappa Kelme Kookaburra Le Coq Sportif Legea Li-Ning Lotto Luanvi Lululemon Macron Majestic Mikasa Mills Mitchell & Ness Mitre Mizuno Molten NAAI New Balance New Era Nike Nivia O'Neills Oakley On Patagonia Peak Penalty Poker Pirma Pro-Specs Puma Reebok Reusch Russell Salomon Schutt Scott Signia Skins Slazenger Smith Optics Sportika Starter Topper Uhlsport Umbro Under Armour Vans Voit XBlades Xtep Warrior Warrix Sports Wilson World Balance Yonex 2XU Association football Athleta Bukta Capelli Finta Marathon Nanque Patrick Select Sport-Saller St Margaret's Australian football Cotton On Sherrin Baseball and softball DeMarini Louisville Slugger Marucci Nokona Rawlings Basketball AND1 First Ever Spalding Boxing Boxa Everlast Fairtex Lonsdale Sting Twins Special Cricket CA County Dukes Duncan Fearnley Gray-Nicolls Gunn & Moore Sanspareils Greenlands Sareen Stuart Surridge Cue sports Alcocks Aramith Brunswick Parris Cues Riley Cycling Bell Sports Castelli Fox Racing Giro Merida Northwave Rapha Santini SMS SIDI Specialized Troy Lee Designs Darts Winmau Golf Adams Ashworth Bettinardi Bridgestone Callaway Cleveland Cobra FootJoy Forgan John Letters MacGregor Maxfli OnCore PXG Penfold Ping Polara Srixon TaylorMade Titleist Top-Flite Wilson Staff Scotty Cameron Yamaha Golf Gridiron football Riddell Handball Select Ice hockey Bauer CCM Sher-Wood Vaughn Martial arts Fairtex Tapout Twins Special Venum Motorsport Acerbis AGV Alpinestars Arai Bell Sports Dainese Fox Racing Momo OMP Schuberth Shark Shoei SIDI Simpson Sparco Troy Lee Designs Rugby Canterbury FI-TA Gilbert LE St Margaret's Steeden Webb Ellis Running and hiking Altra Brooks Hoka Karhu Karrimor LA Gear Merrell Olympikus Saucony Skiing and snowboarding 4FRNT Alpina Alpine Pro Armada Atomic Black Crows Black Diamond Blizzard Burton Snowboards Descente Elan Faction K2 Kneissl Liberty Skis Line Skis Look Bindings Madshus Marker Moment Skis Nordica Peltonen Rossignol Rottefella Salomon Skigo Spyder Swix Völkl Surfing Billabong Haydenshapes Hurley Mambo Matuse Ocean Pacific O'Neill Oxbow Rip Curl Rusty Quiksilver Volcom Swimming Arena Speedo TYR Zoggs Table tennis Butterfly Kettler Killerspin Stiga Sports Tennis and racket sports Babolat Carlton Donnay Dunlop Ellesse Lacoste Prince ProKennex Sergio Tacchini Snauwaert Tecnifibre Victor Volley Water polo Delfina Sport KAP7 Category Commons v t e Athletic shoe brands Companies and brands Footwear-only Alpina Feiyue Gola Karhu Keds Pro-Keds Scarpa Softstar Shoes Spira Vibram Xero Shoes Footwear and apparel Adidas AFA Airwalk Allbirds Altra AND1 Anta Asics Athleta Atletica Avia Bata British Knights Brooks Capelli Cariuma Carlton Champion Charly Columbia Converse DC Shoes Diadora Dunlop DVS Ellesse Erke Etnies Everlast Fila Finta Frasers Gilbert Givova Globe Grays International Gray-Nicolls Head Hoka Hummel Invicta Jordan KangaRoos Kappa Karrimor K-Swiss LA Gear Li-Ning Lonsdale Lotto Macron Merrell Mizuno Muddyfox New Balance Nike, Inc. North Face On Olympikus Palladium Panam Peak Penalty Pirma Pentland PF Flyers Pony Puma Pro-Specs Onitsuka Tiger Quiksilver Rainha Reebok Russell Salomon Saucony Skechers Scott Slazenger Sole Spalding Sperry Starter Supra Topper Umbro Under Armour Vans Veja VF Wilson Wolverine World Balance XBlades Xtep Yonex Zeus Zoo York 361 Degrees Types Biodegradable Cross country Minimalist Skate Sneaker v t e Competitive swimwear Swimsuits Female suits Bodyskin Kneeskin Racerback One-piece swimsuit Male suits Bodyskin Jammers Kneeskin Legskin Square leg suits Swim briefs Materials High-technology swimwear Nylon Polyurethane Spandex Accessories Earplug Goggles Noseclip Swim cap Training gear Fistgloves Hand paddle Pool float Pool noodle Pull buoy Swimfin Swimming machine Manufacturers Adidas Agon Arena Delfina Sport Dolfin Ellesse Head Mizuno Nike, Inc. Orca Speedo TYR Way Funky Zoggs Zoke See also World Aquatics History of competitive swimwear --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ellesse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellesse) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellesse?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.