Lowa Sportschuhe

LOWA, formally Lowa Sportschuhe GmbH, is a German footwear company whose products are sold under the LOWA brand. Founded by Lorenz Wagner in 1923 when he took over the family shoemaking business in Jetzendorf, the company is based in Jetzendorf, Bavaria, north of Munich. Its roots are in shoemaking, and its present range is centered on footwear for outdoor activities, including hiking, trekking and mountain use. A French-language Wikipedia account also identifies ski footwear among the company’s product categories. The brand’s current German-language shop presents trekking and alpine shoes, including the LOWA EXPLORER GTX, CAMINO EVO GTX, LADY LIGHT EVO GTX, CERVINO GTX MID and CEVEDALE PRO GTX families. The product descriptions emphasize use on trekking tours, demanding routes and mixed terrain. The company describes itself as an outdoor-shoe brand and says it has manufactured shoes predominantly in Europe for more than 100 years. The supplied company material identifies Jetzendorf as the location of its service workshop, where it says about 40,000 pairs of shoes are repaired annually. LOWA has been controlled by Italy’s Tecnica Group since 1993, according to the supplied historical account. That account reports a 60% Tecnica Group stake in 2017, with the balance held by then managing director Werner Riethmann and supplier Riko Sport owner Renzo Castellani. The ownership details are dated and should not be treated as a confirmed current share register. LOWA’s product development is based in Jetzendorf; the supplied account describes production as mainly in Jetzendorf and Slovakia, with ski-boot production in Italy ending in 2010. LOWA’s public sustainability material frames environmental and social responsibility as ongoing work. It describes annual progress reporting and references a 2024/25 update and a 2023 sustainability report. The company also reports manufacturing shoes predominantly in Europe, employee operations in six countries, photovoltaic electricity generation at German and Slovakian sites, and a Fair Wear Foundation Brand Performance Check rating. These figures and commitments are company-reported information presented on its sustainability page.

LOWA began in 1923 in Jetzendorf, Germany, when Lorenz Wagner took over the family shoemaking business and founded the company whose name is formed from his own name. The supplied historical account places the business in Jetzendorf from its founding and identifies the company as a maker of hiking, ski and mountain footwear. Wagner’s brothers also established independent shoe-related brands: Hans founded Hanwag in Vierkirchen, while Adolf founded Hochland in Weichs. After Lorenz Wagner’s death, his son-in-law and former apprentice took over the business with his wife Berti. The account credits this period with success in ski-boot manufacturing under the LOWA Air name during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1992, Werner Riethmann, previously associated with Swiss footwear company Raichle, became managing director. The following year, amid financial and succession difficulties, 90% of the shares were sold to Italy’s Tecnica Group. A later account reports a different ownership split for 2017: 60% for Tecnica Group, 20% for Riethmann and 20% for Renzo Castellani, owner of LOWA supplier Riko Sport. The supplied evidence does not establish the current detailed shareholding. LOWA’s production and product-development footprint has included several European locations. The supplied French-language account says research and development are based in Jetzendorf, production is mainly in Jetzendorf for mountain and trekking footwear and in Slovakia for hiking footwear, and ski-boot production in Giavera, Italy, continued until 2010. The company’s sustainability page characterizes its manufacturing as predominantly European. The account records that annual sales passed two million pairs of shoes for the first time in 2010. In 2003, LOWA entered a joint venture with outdoor clothing manufacturer Schöffel to form Schöffel-Lowa Sportartikel GmbH & Co. KG, which operated Schöffel-Lowa stores. The supplied account lists 33 stores as of October 2018, most of them franchised, across Germany, Austria and Italy. The same account identifies LOWA as a supplier of new combat boots for the German Bundeswehr. Today, LOWA’s official shop presents trekking and alpine footwear, while its sustainability materials describe ongoing environmental and social initiatives. The company says it publishes annual progress updates and reports, and identifies a repair workshop in Jetzendorf. These current-facing details show a business still operating as an outdoor footwear brand, but the supplied evidence does not provide a complete recent corporate timeline or independently verify current executives and share ownership.

• 2017

  Historical account reports LOWA shareholding

• 2010

  Ski-boot production in Italy ends; annual sales pass two million pairs

• 2003

  LOWA and Schöffel establish a joint venture

• 1993

  Tecnica Group acquires a controlling interest

• 1992

  Werner Riethmann becomes managing director

• 1923

  Lorenz Wagner founds LOWA in Jetzendorf

An outdoor footwear brand focused on trekking, hiking and alpine use, with products described for demanding tours and varied terrain.

• LOWA EXPLORER GTX

  A trekking footwear family shown in mid and low versions; the shop describes the mid model as a dynamic trekking boot and the low model as a lightweight trekking shoe.

• CAMINO EVO GTX

  A trekking boot described by the shop as a new classic for trekking tours.

• LADY LIGHT EVO GTX

  A reissued trekking classic with a GORE-TEX membrane.

• CERVINO GTX MID

  A technical mountain boot for mixed terrain.

• CEVEDALE PRO GTX MID

  An alpine footwear model described as an all-rounder for demanding tours.

• European production and sustainability reportingOther

• Repair services in JetzendorfOther

1. 1LOWA - Tradition und Innovationlowa.com
2. 2Nachhaltigkeit | Offizieller LOWA-Webshoplowa.com
3. 3Lowa Sportschuhewikidata.org
4. 4Lowa Sportschuhefr.wikipedia.org