What Ellesse is known for
Italian sportswear house founded in Perugia in 1959 by tailor Leonardo Servadio, whose initials ('L.S.') gave the brand its name; began in ski trousers, added tennis wear in 1975, and has been owned by UK's Pentland Group since 1987.
Ellesse traces to 19 June 1959, when Leonardo Servadio, a tailor from a Perugia textile-merchant family, opened a small workshop in Umbria. His nickname 'Mantis' and love of mountain sports pushed the label toward ski trousers first. The name itself is a play on his initials, L and S, pronounced the Italian way as 'elle-esse.' By the mid-1960s Ellesse had grown into Italy's second-largest trouser manufacturer. The brand moved into tennis in 1975, developing technical apparel worn on tour, and its semi-palla roundel logo became a fixture of 1980s court and ski style. Ellesse was acquired by the British Pentland Group in 1987, which still owns it today alongside brands like Speedo and Berghaus.
Best for — Retro tennis style.
Where next
- Katin — United States
- Fleet Farm — United States
- O'Neill — San Francisco
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement