Calzedonia history: from Verona in 1986 to 2,000 stores worldwide
From its founding near Verona in 1986 to the Oniverse group: who Sandro Veronesi is, how the stores and factories work, which brands grew out of Calzedonia and who fronted its campaigns.
Calzedonia was born near Verona in 1986, and in under forty years it has grown, according to the group, to more than 2,000 single-brand shops in over 50 countries. Here is its story, from the founder to the factories, from the brands that came after to the campaign faces.
The founder: Sandro Veronesi
Sandro Veronesi was born in Ala, in Trentino, in 1959, and graduated in economics from the University of Verona in 1983. The following year, Wikipedia says, he joined Golden Lady, the hosiery company founded by Nerino Grassi, whose daughter Nadia he later married. Calzedonia was born while he was still there: the group gives 1986 in Verona as its founding date, while Wikipedia specifies Vallese di Oppeano, in the province of Verona, and an official launch in 1987. Today Veronesi is the group's president and majority shareholder.
The idea: a shop just for hosiery
From the start, the group writes, Calzedonia has offered hosiery and beachwear combining "manufacturing quality, style, and accessible prices", sold only in its own single-brand stores, directly run or franchised. Today, according to the brand page, there are 2,093 stores in 55 countries, 551 in Italy, with the online shop active in 40 countries (the text of the same page says "over 2,200 stores in 57 countries").
Outside Italy the sign reads "Italian Legwear", as in Hong Kong. Photo: KensmRPM 22300, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The factories
One difference from many fashion brands is manufacturing. The group says it built its own factories, which today produce about 82% of the items sold in its stores: in Italy at Avio, Brentino Belluno, Castagnaro, Vallese di Oppeano, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Castel Goffredo, Italy's "hosiery town" (see our glossary), Segusino, Bologna and Gissi, and abroad in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, Bosnia, Ethiopia and Tunisia.
From Calzedonia to Oniverse
Other brands grew out of Calzedonia: Intimissimi in 1996 and Tezenis in 2003, according to the group's brand pages; then Falconeri, IUMAN Intimissimi Uomo, Emé and, more recently, Antonio Marras, plus the Signorvino wine-bar chain. On 4 December 2023 the group changed its name to Oniverse: "the anagram of the surname Veronesi", he told FashionNetwork, because the group now includes brands "each with its own identity".
In 2024, according to Oniverse, the group's turnover was €3.5 billion, with 62% from abroad; there are more than 5,700 single-brand stores across all its brands in 57 countries, and more than 45,000 employees, 89% of them women.
The faces
Communication has always gone through stars. In 2014, the group recalls, Calzedonia launched the brand internationally with a cinematic commercial starring Julia Roberts, who since 2015 has returned in a series of lighthearted spots set in the stores. For beachwear, Gisele Bündchen and Heidi Klum posed for the brand; Kendall Jenner was Digital Ambassador in 2024 and 2025.
This autumn it was Lily Allen's turn, as the face of the autumn/winter 2026 collection, and Heidi Klum again, this time for lace tights.
Heidi Klum for Calzedonia, Lace Tights collection, October 2026. Photo: Calzedonia.
Lily Allen for Calzedonia, autumn/winter 2026. Photo: Calzedonia, Sharna Osborne.
Calzedonia today
In recent months we've covered the Life Re-Tights recycled tights, the leggy taxi in New York and Céline Dion's tights in Paris. For the stories of the other big names, see Wolford, Falke and Fogal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calzedonia an Italian brand?
Yes. Calzedonia is an Italian brand, founded by Sandro Veronesi near Verona in 1986, and part of the Italian group Oniverse together with Intimissimi and Tezenis. Much of what it sells comes from its own factories in Italy, including Castel Goffredo.
Who founded Calzedonia?
Sandro Veronesi, born in Ala in 1959, an economics graduate from the University of Verona. Before founding Calzedonia he worked for Golden Lady, Nerino Grassi's hosiery company.
When was Calzedonia founded?
The group gives 1986 and Verona as its founding year and place; Wikipedia says the company was established in Vallese di Oppeano in 1986 and officially launched in 1987.
Are Calzedonia and Intimissimi the same company?
Yes: both belong to Oniverse, the name the Calzedonia group took in December 2023, together with Tezenis, Falconeri, IUMAN Intimissimi Uomo, Emé, Antonio Marras and the Signorvino wine-bar chain.
Where are Calzedonia tights made?
According to the group, about 82% of the items sold in its stores come from its own factories, in Italy (including Castel Goffredo, Vallese di Oppeano and Castiglione delle Stiviere) and in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, Bosnia, Ethiopia and Tunisia.
