Founded in 1945 on the entrepreneurial initiative of cousins Ezio, Alvaro and Ivo Antonini, 3A Antonini has a long history of inventions, investments and media experimentation that has seen its production method evolve from an artisanal to an industrial approach whilst maintaining the precision of its traditional footwear craftsmanship, which has remained untouched by the standardisation process.
Chaired by Nicla Antonini, Ivo’s eldest daughter, and managed by her son, Andrea Martini Antonini, right-hand man to his grandfather back in the 1990’s, 3A is a company where the owners still have a key managerial role. With a turnover of 30 million euros in 2009, and a 40 million euros turnover forecast for 2010, the company manufacturers 1,000,000 pairs of shoes a year with the Lumberjack (informal and comfortable footwear. Aside from the classic beige River desert boot in suede with soft dark brown trim, it also comprises a collection of models ideal for both the workplace and free time), Alexander (high quality handmade shoes), Jakkar by Antonini (extremely comfortable shoes with excellent quality/price ratio), and Ljk brands (contemporary look for a young target always on the lookout for new styles, with an eye on design). The 2009/10 autumn-winter season also saw the highly successful debut of the children’s Lumberjack range.
In terms of the group's strategies, the company has invested heavily in Lumberjack, spending million euros on its continued development in 2009. The bear and maple leaf brand currently boasts 7 single-brand boutiques in major European cities: in Italy it has 2 boutiques 1 in Verona and 1 in Rome, whilst in Europe, it is present in Turkey, the Czech Republic, Greece and Hungary. It also benefits from a wide distribution network via 1000 multi-brand stores across Italy and 500 fashionable multi-brand stores across France, the UK, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey, such as TK Maxx in London. 2010, meanwhile, will see the opening of flagship stores and corner “shop in shops” in other European countries: Scandinavia, Benelux, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus, and, for the first time, China.
ENDORSERS: FROM MONTESANO TO RANGER
Ivo Antonini has invested in advertising since the 1970’s with marketing studies and positioning strategies to strengthen the identities of the brands and increase their popularity. Through a series of advertisements, firstly in the press and later on TV, it became one of the first footwear manufacturers in Italy to use these promotional instruments and probably the first to employ an endorser. As far back as 1983, and for almost a decade subsequently, actor Enrico Montesano promoted the shoes for “the feet of those that have their head screwed on”, as the 3A slogan went. The protagonists of Lumberjack adverts also went on to become authentic advertising icons, most notably Jack the bear and the Canadian park ranger.
Some of the classic Antonini and Lumberjack TV ads can still be seen on the Lumberjack You Tube channel: from the 80’s ads with Montesano and the 1988 commercial set among the sand dunes of the desert, through to perhaps the most famous Antonini ad - the 1994 short film that sees Jack the bear wake the ranger in his chalet, which sits opposite a crystalline lake at the edge of a conifer tree wood.
Continuous challenges also reflected in the company's media choices and sponsorship agreements over the years. Such as the partnership with the Suzuki team in the world of Moto GP, which saw motorcyclist Loris Capirossi don 3A footwear.
IT ALL BEGAN...
When, in the immediate post-war era, brothers Ezio and Alvaro Antonini, together with their cousin Ivo, left Tuscany for the Veneto to market their shoes between Northern Italy and Germany. It wasn’t long before they progressed from distributing their shoes to manufacturing them directly, opening their first craftsman’s workshop in Illasi, in the suburbs of Verona. A body of 50 master shoe manufacturers who designed, produced and sold their collections. The company very quickly became a full-blown industry, increasing its production capacity with over 1000 direct employees and establishing agreements with a number of foreign brands, without ever losing sight of its internal brands. Indeed, company policy ensures that third parties never account for more than 20% of company business.
In the 1950’s, Antonini invented the children’s shoe with two holes, the 101: a childhood classic. In the 70’s 3A passed entirely into the hands of Ivo, who faced growing production costs by delocalising production. Volumes and quality were nonetheless reconciled as both design and technical development and manufacturing were centralised in Italy, with every partner company overseen by 3A craftsmen. During a business trip to the US in 1979, Ivo Antonini fell in love with the wild lifestyle of the great North American parks. A lifestyle that spread to the cities, highlighting a growing desire for comfort and a return to nature. The yellow park ranger shoes with ‘carrarmato’ sole thus became the spearhead model of a new brand conceived by Ivo Antonini: Lumberjack, whose distinctive symbols are Jack the bear and the maple leaf. A brand that combines American-inspired footwear with the quality of Italian craftsmanship and an excellent quality/price relationship.
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