Floris: “In 2000, we had the opportunity to become the ‘official supplier’ of the Benetton Formula 1 team. You can read how this came about here. The partnership generated a lot of publicity for our still fairly new brand. It was front-page news at several national dailies and there were satellite cars on our doorstep to broadcast live on TV. The shoes that were linked to the partnership were also selling very well. We were really happy about that because it was a sporty shoe. Until then, we mainly sold dressy shoes. Thanks to the collaboration with the Benetton Formula 1 team, we made a breakthrough in a new segment. The following year, we even had to go to court to stop the sale of copies.”

(Image below: Advertisement featuring the Formula 1 shoe)

(Image below: Official supplier to the Benetton F1 team & Renault F1 team)