Claudia Ambrosini

Paul&Shark

On 4 March 1957, the mill Maglificio Daco, founded in 1921, opened its doors under the new owner Gian Ludovico Dini, who, nine years later, will change the company name to Dama S.p.A. Every aspect of the production took place within the company: from sourcing the yarns to producing the fabrics and making all the packaging. Clothes were shipped around the world thanks to prestigious partnerships with Christian Dior and Balenciaga At the start of the 1970s, Paolo Dini, the eldest son of Gian Ludovico, during a trip to a small sailmaker's workshop in Maine, found the sail from an old 18th-century clipper that caught his eye: the inscription read "Paul&Shark". It was fate and the Paul&Shark brand was born. The yachting collection dates back to the mid-1970s, when Paul&Shark entered the sports fashion sector with a collection inspired by the sea, the world of sailing and the spirit of adventure. In 1978 the C0P918 pullover was born: a sailing sweater that would become an icon of the Paul&Shark style: immediately recognisable from its packaging, a metal used onboard boats as a multi-purpose container. The water-repellent sweater had immediate success and signalled the start of a whole new water-repellent knitwear collection. Over the years the company has expanded to become a comprehensive smart casual and luxury sportswear brand, famous for the quality of its garnments, appreciated by the fans of Italian fashion and high-performance technical materials, many of which have been patented by Paul&Shark. Paul&Shark collections are available throughout the world in 73 different countries, 458 cities and more than 280 Paul&Shark monobrand boutiques located in the most exclusive shopping areas, from Via Montenapoleone, Milan, to Rue du Faubourg St. Honore'​ Paris, to New York, Dubai and Moscow. Today the company is run by Andrea Dini, CEO and President, the third generation of the founding family.