DALLAS, Jun 6, 2007/ FW/ --- Before there was Nike and Reebok, there was Gola. Established in 1905, Gola pioneered on specializing on sports shoes. It all started when the first pair of handmade soccer football shoes was made in a small workshop in England.

No one knows where the term ‘gola’ came from. Some believes that it is an anagram of ‘goal.’ That belief was strengthened when during the 1930s; the company’s first advertising campaign, ‘Gola means goals’ was seen on side of buses in England.

Gola’s development of sports shoes was stunted by World War II when it had to shift its production to army boots for the war effort. That change also gave it another expertise; hence, after the war, and all the way through the 1950s, Gola’s production was centered on heavy boots as well as football and rugby boots.

When the 1960s rolled around, Gola went back to its roots of sports shoes and expanded its R&D and marketing efforts to cater to athletes. The label caught the attention of the sporting world when in 1965, the Liverpool team won the FA Cup wearing Gola shoes.

Three years later, in 1968, Gola launched its flagship footwear, the ‘Harrier’ training shoe, which was destined to be a very popular style up to today.

After ‘Harrier’ was born, Gola expanded its reach. While keeping its big presence in football, it started developing shoes for other sports – Track & Field, tennis, cricket and boxing, among others.

In 2005, Gola celebrated its centennial; a hundred years had passed since that first pair of football shoes made of leather, including the sole and studs was made. And Gola had come a long way.

Today, its product lines encompass the wide world of sports, with football still at the center and ‘Harrier’ still the bestseller.

For Spring/Summer 2007 (now available in stores), Gola proposes Harrier in several colors that include gray and white. There are also canvas and leather slip-ons, walking shoes in denim and leather, styles for skateboarding, tennis and runners.

With their ergonomic forms and shapes, you won’t even notice that the brand is actually over 100 years old!

Gola Men

Gola Men

Gola Men

Gola Men

Gola Men