Company history
The history of Olip S.p.A. began in 1972 in Colà di Lazise, a small town near Lake Garda, where the heart of the company still stands today. Since its establishment, the founder and current owner Piero Oliosi pursued a vision, trying to combine tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and Italian excellence with the aim of meeting the tastes and styles of different international cultures.
Always attentive to the constant changes in the market and lifestyles, Oliosi places Olip S.p.A. on the high end of the market, keeping its products always current and constantly evolving. Next to Piero Oliosi, there are his children Camilla and Cristian who, with enthusiasm and passion, work alongside their father in achieving his goals, pursuing the initial dream. Both joined the company at a young age and cultivate respectively the love for fashion and the knowledge of the footwear production processes.
Brands
Today, Olip S.p.A. owns the A.S.98, Mjus and Mjus RBL brands. All the brands of the group have their own specific identity, sharing the same ideals, high quality, originality and endless creativity.
Tradition and innovation
A.S.98 was established in 2014 as a rebranding of the AirStep brand, founded in 1998. Right from start, the brand stood out for its innovative yet traditional spirit. All the features of the shoe-making tradition have been retained unaltered: quality raw materials, care for detail and hand craftsmanship.
Production
In the complex footwear production chain, each stage is carefully controlled by the parent company: from the design of the products to the purchase of raw materials, from the purchase of new machinery to the start of production.
The technological investments and the modern set-up of the production processes are the basis of the Olip S.p.A. strategy which, although it wants to maintain craftsmanship, it aims to integrate new advanced features.
Materials – the pursuit of perfection
The wide variety of hides used means a constant commitment and challenge. The same sensitivity devoted to shoe-making is indeed found in the use and search for high-end natural materials paired with unique expertise and a dedication to uncompromised quality. This is all supported by Italy’s quintessential shoe-making tradition.
The purchase of materials, like all the other production stages and the control of finished products, are centralised at the main facility in Italy. The processing of materials and leather, combined with the subsequent finishing stages, define a unique production capacity sought by global buyers. All this results in a much slower and more expensive process, but in line with the requirements of a conscious and attentive market.
Once the leather has reached its destination, it is immediately dealt with by skilled workers. The technical know-how is at a very high level, because sometimes you need to be a real artist to meet the demands of designers and make everything ready for production.
Since there are no two identical pieces of leather, the single pair of shoes is unique, especially thanks to the handcrafted finish and the various decorations that are applied by hand.
All materials are imported from Italy. Italian tanneries give our leather its typical roughness.
To project craftsmanship into the future
Traditional techniques, extensive experience, rigorous training, a technical and aesthetic focus on exclusive and innovative solutions: this has always been the approach of a brand that has everything it takes for a constant innovative drive, to project craftsmanship into the near future.
These are the distinctive elements of the A.S.98 brand that place it at the forefront in terms of leather footwear and accessories for both men and women. Every season, the collections are driven by AS98’s spirit, which combines passion and a strong personality with a rock-inspired attitude.
Environmentally sustainable products
We have introduced a number of production changes to all of our A.S.98 items, to make our products even more environmentally sustainable.
NICKEL-TESTED ACCESSORIES
The accessories of their products respect the restrictions defined by Regulation 1907/2006 REACH, the law that specifies the limits for products destined to make direct and protracted contact with the skin.
WATER-BASED GLUES
ECHO PU 290 FAST is the adhesive used in assembling a sole. It is a monocomponent polyurethane adhesive with a fast water-based action, without the need for any additional polyisocyanate hardeners.
RECYCLED YARN
The yarns used are made with recycled materials and certified by ICEA (Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification).
VEGETABLE TANNING
The leathers are vegetable-tanned (a characteristic feature of A.S.98 items) with unique qualities. Vegetable tanning employs tanning extracts from ethical sustainability practices for forests. Thanks to the recovery of water from lime-soaking drums, and its subsequent re-use, there is a notable reduction in water consumption. The leather production is “100% made-in-Italy” pursuant to law UNI EN 16484.
INSOLE MADE WITH 60% RECYCLED MATERIAL AND RAW FIBRES
The insoles are made with recycled materials salvaged from the footbed manufacturing and production of other industries in paper supply, and from grey cellulose material which has not been bleached, for further benefits in terms of energy saving and environmental protection.
INSOLES MADE WITH RECYCLED MATERIAL
Video: A.S.98 Spring-Summer 2021 Collection
Source: A.S.98 Website
