Moon Boot®

At the end of the 60s, the world watched with bated breath as the greatest adventure in history unfolded: the moon landing. While millions of people were watching Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the surface of the moon, Italian entrepreneur Giancarlo Zanatta, head of Tecnica, had already proven his flair for innovation by revolutionising the ski boot with the pioneering introduction of plastic and the Tecnus model.

At a time of technological ferment and dreams of space travel, Zanatta’s attention was drawn to a detail that escaped most people. As he watched the television coverage of the moon landing, he was struck by the astronauts’ special footwear. He noticed their sturdy shape but also sensed their lightness and comfort, ideal for moving on that surface that reminded him of a snowy landscape.

And this is where Zanatta’s vision came into play: why not create a shoe inspired by those worn by astronauts, but dedicated to winter comfort on Earth? The idea quickly took shape. Abandoning the leather of the inadequate “pedules”, a type of walking shoe that skiers wore after taking off their stiff boots, he chose modern, high-performance materials: very light polyurethane foam for soft, insulating padding, and waterproof nylon for the outer upper, capable of keeping the foot dry. And so, in 1969, Moon Boot® was born.

The result was immediate and sensational. The Moon Boot® was not just an invention, it became a mass phenomenon, linked to the most wonderful memories of the snow. With unique characteristics such as being ambidextrous and multi-sizes, it conquered the global market, selling 22 million pairs.

Today, the iconic status of the Moon Boot® is even celebrated by museums such as the MoMA in New York and the Louvre in Paris. An icon that was born looking at the Moon and continues to walk on Earth.