For the 50th anniversary, the Italian swimwear specialist Arena is making a big showing – parties, fashion collaborations such as those with Woolmark and Marcelo Burlon, and an extravagant stand at the Pitti Uomo men’s fashion fair. The brand, which was founded in 1973 by Horst Dassler – son of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler – also has some plans for the future: expansion of the range and new markets.
Arena CEO Peter Graschi reveals what these plans are all about, what goals Arena has set itself for the next 50 years and how the weather affected business in the first half of the year.
You presented the cooperation with Woolmark at Pitti Uomo. How did that happen?
We’ve been working with Woolmark for a long time and the teams know each other. Together we thought about how beachwear could become more sustainable and then developed an outer fabric. This consists of 50 to 70 percent merino wool and then polyester.
Should beachwear also be expanded further?
Yes, and that also outside of the collaboration.
Is expanding the range a necessary step because sportswear and clothing suppliers are becoming more present in swimwear?
We are ‘top of mind’ in the pool for the swimmers. However, the field is also changing as swimming becomes an increasingly popular sport. That’s why we want to address a broader audience with the topic ‘Health’.
After beachwear comes sportswear?
Today we are really focusing on beachwear and the products, all around beach shorts and bikinis. This also includes towels, accessories and everything that has to do with the topic of water and the beach.
In which stores do you want to position yourself?
Arena has two levels. One is swimming, where there are two providers that are known worldwide and we are one of them. With the collection we are represented at specialist retailers, swimming specialists and sports shops.
Then there is the beachwear collection, the positioning of which is less suitable for sports retailers. That’s more lifestyle and for the fashion sector. The price positioning is also somewhere else than in sports retail. [Anm. d. Red.: Beachwear liegt im oberen Preissegment, Schwimm-Sportbereich zielt auf breiteres Publikum ab – mittleres Preissegment bis High-End-Bereich] But of course there are also overlaps between the areas with a few products – where one collection begins, the other ends.
The new capsule is available in core markets as well as in new markets. What are Arena’s expansion plans?
That is different. The beachwear collection focuses on Italy, France, Germany, Spain and markets such as South America. However, we invest in marketing primarily in the four countries – Germany, Spain, France and Italy. In general, as a brand, we also have a lot of growth in the USA, but especially in swimming there.
Arena is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. What else can we expect in the anniversary year?
We have launched a ‘Special Capsule’ for the 50th anniversary. We also had a big party, which Marc Spitz also attended [Anm. d. Red.: ehemaliger US-amerikanischer Schwimmer] switched on and there were also employees who still worked with the founder Horst Dassler, the son of Adi Dassler. And soon there will be another big celebration with the employees at our headquarters on the Adriatic coast.
How did the rather milder spring affect business?
We were able to gain market share. Swim sales continue to be strong and we didn’t feel the bad weather.
There is also still that need to travel, after all we are only in our second year post Covid. Last year Corona was still a bit in the room, this year not anymore and so the travel activities have increased despite or precisely because of the bad weather.
What goals do you have for the next 50 years?
We want to expand the lifestyle area and make swimming better known because it can appeal to a lot more people than before.