Euro 2012 is here, and as various brands launch new football boots for the tournament, we think Pantofola d'Oro have one of the most unique offerings. Instead of harmonising their range of footwear with a collective look, the Italian brand are focusing on individual nations with boots dedicated to the fans. Check out the full Euro Range...
The new and exclusive Pantofola d'Oro Ascoli Euro Range football boots have been designed with home and away strips in mind for four continental teams. The ranges launched for Euro 2012 are Tricolore, La Roja, Germania and Les Bleus which as you might probably be able to decipher represent Italy, Spain, Germany and France.
Increasingly Pantofola d'Oro are creating a niche for themselves in the boot market, remaining true to their principles of quality craftsmanship and top quality leather. It's hard to imagine another brand that could craft such footwear, as Pantofola d'Oro aren't concerned with mass production and are instead happy to construct limited numbers of leather football boots.
Although designed with the 2012 European Championships in mind, the new Ascoli football boots could be worn any time for a footballer eager to show his national pride, whether they be Italian, Spanish, German or French. The national identitiy is delivered through the Pantofola d'Oro Stars (quite a landmark move), and of course the very strong look on the heel.
Possibly the nations selected were not just because of the quality of their national football team, but also as their striped colour-block flags can be translated through the heel. As the leather material of the Ascoli shapes around the heel and boot collar, the look accommodates both a horizontal and vertical striped flag. It would perhaps be interesting to see a national boot for the likes of Ireland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania (okay we know the last two aren't at Euro 2012, but could still make interesting colour combinations!).
The Euro range Ascoli football boots are another exclusive offering from Italian brand Pantofola d'Oro, who are constantly offering a slightly alternative take on a traditional leather upper. The colour combinations are unique to national identity, however the boots are unified in terms of the performance the Ascoli delivers., which is now available in a firm ground and a synthetic surfaces outsole.
As Pantofola d'Oro play to their strengths of quality leather uppers, these latest Ascoli football boots feature a super soft, comfortable and water-repellent Vitello 'calf' leather. With the performance and durability of the leather enhanced by the stitching on the upper, and the fact that Pantofola d'Oro use as much of one-piece of leather as possible for one boot.
The leather is coloured at specialised tanneries in Italy, in particular Tuscany, and Pantofola d'Oro are now confident to say their coloured leathers have reached the same quality as a black leather. Which is apparently quite difficult to achieve, and therefore something we wonder if other brands can boast.
Pantofola d'Oro offer unique crafting and construction, as every football boot that leaves Italy is still handmade. Of all the Italian brands, Pantofola d'Oro are the only ones left to be solely engineering their boots in Italy. Retaining techniques that have served the family for 125 years, the level of craftsmanship is there to see with the cut of the leather and quality stitching, to create a boot that's designed to last a long time.
As far as ball touch and feel is concerned, the superior properties of a natural leather have been well documented. The upper moulds to the shape of your foot, giving a great fit to assist player confidence on the ball, control, passing and shooting. Pantofola d'Oro still practice stitching the outsole to the upper for durability, and as mentioned the Euro Ascoli's comes in both firm ground and synthetic surface sole-plates.
For Pantofola d'Oro there's no escaping a history which dates back to 1886, it's something they're very proud of, and shows in their current boot ranges. Retaining tradition, the current ranges include the 'Lazzarini' which bears the founder's family name, and this 'Ascoli' is named after the town in Piceno where the first workshop was set up back in 1886.
As a quick history recap, it was 1886 that the Lazzarini family set up a shoemaker's workshop in Ascoli Piceno in Italy. The popularity of which grew as the game of football grew, especially in a period when players selected their footwear ahead of marketing endorsements, and for which Pantofola d'Oro can boast such names as di Stefano, Puskas, Capello, Cruyff, Mancini, Klinsmann, Van Basten and Di Canio as wearers.
The new Euro Pantofola d'Oro Ascoli football boots are available to pre-order now ahead of a July 1st launch. The boots are exclusive to selected retailers, and we can imagine will be released on rather limited numbers. For your opportunity to show national pride, or if you just like the colour combination of either the Tricolore, La Roja, Germania or Les Bleus ranges, expect to pay around £100 GBP / $180 USD / €120 EURO.
Now you've had a look at the new Pantofola d'Oro Ascoli Euro Range football boots, are you a fan? They'll certainly take some beating when it comes to incorporating national identity and quality leather craftsmanship. Share your thoughts with the SoccerBible community online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
