| Rainha | |
| Location: | São Paulo, Brazil |
Rainha is a Brazilian sports equipment brand, currently owned by BR Sports, a holding based in São Paulo.[1] [2]
Products under the 'Rainha' brand include sneakers and clothing. 'Rainha' in Portuguese means 'queen'.
It began in 1934 when the Saad & Cia company, using a new process in the Brazilian manufacturing market with sterilization technology, launched sports shoes on the market. In the following decades the brand, widely recognized by a "torch" in its logo. In 1978, Alpargatas S.A. purchases the brand.[3]
In the early 1980s the brand gained scale and distribution with its iconic Mont Car, Iate, Bullit and VL2500 models. Rainha left to be just an elite item, becoming a high-volume brand, choosing sports as its platform. It was the first sports brand to sign a sponsorship contract with professional club Super League team Pirelli Santo André.[4] In 1983, Rainha became sponsor of The Great Volleyball Challenge, a friendly match between Brazil vs. USSR held in Maracanã Stadium.[5]
In 2015 the brand was acquired by "BR Sports", a holding company part of the Sforza Group, whose president was entrepreneur Carlos Wizard Martins.[6] [7]
Rainha was the official kit provider of several professional sports teams. The list includes:
Londrina Atlético Mineiro (1981–82) Náutico Taubaté S. E. Matsubara Minas Pirelli Santo André