Garsport, Unity is strenght

Gar like Garbuio, the name of a family that started from scratch and today, through the Garsport brand, is a company led by the third- generation, rapidly expanding in the sector of the production of trekking and safety footwear featuring very high quality and safety standards. Based on the know-how acquired in over fifty years of collaboration on behalf of third parties with the major brands of the Montebelluna Sportsystem cluster and beyond, in 2010 the own-brand Trekking and Safety lines were launched: comfortable, safe, resistant, durable footwear, designed and built using the best technologies and materials available on the market. Garsport products are developed both in the brand-new operational headquarters in Volpago del Montello (Treviso province) and in the production site in Romania (Gartek): they are the result of the commitment, determination and passion of the Garbuio dynasty and of a predominantly female team led by the president and founder Gabriella Favotto, wife of Diego, who passed away in 2020. Her granddaughter Elena Garbuio, responsible for Customer Care and Sales Manager Italy, tells us the steps of the success of a family united in life as in work.
Elena Garbuio, how did the desire to carry on a family tradition come about?
“I started working at Garsport at the age of 19 after graduating from high school. Initially I had other plans, I would have liked to become a nursery school teacher, but I also wanted to carry on the family dream. I tried it and it was immediately love!
To understand company dynamics and processes, I first took part in training courses on management control, then I enrolled in a two-year master’s degree to obtain the qualification as a technical expert in sports footwear. I attended ITS Cosmo in Montebelluna, a school of advanced training and specialization in the different fashion sectors: after the fifth level diploma I started working in the company again. More than three years have passed since then.”
You are known for your outstanding contribution to the world of trekking and winter sports. How and when did you decide to also dedicate yourself to safety footwear?
“The safety footwear project was born more than twenty years ago, first as an OEM production and then with the Garsport brand. Our Safety line is unceasingly growing and expanding throughout the world (+10% turnover in 2023). In Italy we are having great satisfaction and professional recognition thanks also to a widespread network of agents and distributors. In Europe we are known mainly in France and we are developing a network of agents and distributors also in Germany, Benelux, Poland and the Nordic countries.”
Have you created safety products also targeted for extreme sub- zero temperatures?
“The Bigfoot is an S3 safety shoe in waxed Dakar leather intended for professional use in harsh conditions. Suitable for temperatures down to -40°C, it has an injected polyurethane and nitrile rubber sole, composite toe cap, removable internal thermal shoes. We have got excellent feedback, for example, from agencies that organize excursions with sled dogs or snowmobiles.”
What is your latest flasgship?
“Certainly, the new Hexalight sole with a high technical profile, but with unprecedented comfort and lightness. The tread is made through direct injection of dual-density polyurethane onto the upper. The sole is developed to comply with and brilliantly pass the new tests imposed by the 20345:2022 regulation. The main innovation, however, concerns the lightweight, low-density expanded polyurethane midsole. Thanks to the open holes located in the heel area, the shoe acquires further lightness and cushioning during use. The conical-shaped holes exploit the principles of physics and allow the shoe to be structured and any material residues or debris to be discharged towards the outside. Finally, the waste and use of polyurethane in the injection phase is reduced, with an eye towards environmental protection. This is a beautiful project, in which we believe a lot.”
You are therefore in step with the times also in terms of eco- sustainability.
“The quality of services and attention to the environment are key elements of our business strategy. As a company we are committed to improving environmental performance and mitigating the impact of our work on the ecosystem, in compliance with the UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 and UNI EN ISO 14001:2015 standards. In 2022, on the roofs of our production site in Romania, Gartek in Husi (Vaslui), we installed a photovoltaic system made up of 2,082 solar panels which guarantee us energy autonomy by 80%. It must not be forgotten that we also work for big brands, therefore we are constantly subjected to very specific and severe controls both at European and international level.”

Elena Garbuio, third generation, Customer Care and Sales Manager Italy

Garsport Bigfoot S3

The brand new Garsport headquarters in Volpago del Montello (Treviso) inaugurated in 2022, where the administrative offices, the Italian and foreign sales offices, the R&D department, the finished product logistics and the company outlet are located

HEXALIGHT: comfort and lightness, with an eye to the environment

Thanks to the know-how acquired in over 50 years of production experience, and after in-depth studies and research, Garsport developed the new Hexalight line, an excellent system that ensures unprecedented comfort and lightness, relying on the physical features of the polyurethane, combined with those of physics. The tread is made through direct injection of dual-density polyurethane onto the upper: it guarantees excellent grip and is developed to meet and brilliantly exceed the new tests imposed by the 20345:2022 regulation. The midsole, in lightweight, low-density expanded polyurethane, represents the main innovation. Thanks to the open holes located in the heel area, the shoe acquires further lightness and cushioning during use. The holes, conical in shape, take advantage of the principles of physics, and allow the shoe to be given structure, also giving the possibility for any material residues or debris to be discharged towards the outside, if the shoe is used in outdoor environments. The new Hexalight sole, in addition to being innovative and high-performance, also has an eye on ecosustainability and respect for the environment: thanks to its structure, it reduces waste and the use of polyurethane material in the injection phase.