Our Mission
To help our wearers see the bigger game:
living a life of pleasure through sport.
Our Values
Perform with beauty
We believe success is nothing without grace, elegance & flair.
Play well with others
We have a generous spirit. We believe sport - as all life - is fundamentally social.
Push the boundaries
We are always looking for the new: new designs, new adventures, new techniques, new sources of pleasure.
Pursue the good life
In everything we do, we unashamedly promote, equip, and inspire the pursuit of La Dolce Vita.
Once upon a time in Perugia...
In 1959, sportswear was functional and daywear was style-led. Little thought was given to the aesthetic or enjoyment of sports apparel, only to its performance. Leonardo Servadio, a fashionable tailor based in Perugia, found this approach to be lacking. His family were textile merchants with a store in Perugia, and Leonardo learned how to handle cloth from a young age. Perugia is located within easy reach of the Umbrian Apennines, and a young Leonardo developed a love of mountain sports – and a disdain for dull snow-wear. So, he created his own, developing a line of impeccably cut ski trousers, each named after a Dolomite peak.
The success of the style meant a factory in Perugia quickly followed, and an eponymous brand – L&S, his initials – became ellesse. By the mid-1960s, ellesse was the second largest trouser manufacturer in Italy. In 1966, a much larger factory opened just outside Perugia, to keep up with demand.
In the late 1960s, Leonardo had a new idea. His brand was coveted by the aspirational shopper, so it made sense to harness their loyalty with an outward sign of the brand. He incorporated ellesse branding on the outside of the garments – a global first, and one that kick-started fashion branding as we know it.
To wear ellesse with its logo was a badge of pride. The brand expanded from ski to tennis, racing, cycling and golf: finding an audience wherever sport was enjoyed in style. ellesse was worn by Wimbledon Olympic gold medalists. It symbolized performance wrapped up in pleasure; and the desire to always play in style. Its charismatic attitude extended to campaigns, which was cheeky and distinctive.
By elevating sportswear beyond performance, Leonardo set the template for athleisure and sportswear as we know it today. By wrapping it in aspiration, he unlocked the freedom of effortless clothing and better living. And by adhering strictly to meticulous codes of tailoring and fearlessly innovating, he made great leaps for sports designers, wearers, and players all over the world.
