Liabel

Company leader in underwear, originally founded with the name Maglificio Bellia. The founder was Bernardo Bellia, an innkeeper from Pettinengo, a little village in the area of Biella, who, in 1851, was charged to provide the Savoy army with woolen jerseys. The reunification of Italy in 1860 opened the national market up to Bellia, resulting in unstoppable expansion that, from the 1930s, promoted the company to the top ranks of knitwear production, a leadership that it was to maintain after World War II. Between 1993 and the early months of 1997, the multinational Sarah Lee Corporation bought up Liabel 100%, relaunched the brand and reorganized management. In October 1999, Liabel acquired Dim and the distribution rights on Dim hosiery, tights and underwear, and the Rosy brand. Liabel Baby was created the same year; this line makes baby clothes manufactured with selected fabrics that have been tested in a pediatric hospital before production is started. In September 2001, the year Liabel celebrated 150 years of history, the company (turnover: 35 million euros) joined the group Eminence, a French company that specializes in underwear, and is the owner of the brands Eminence and Athena. In March 2003 the company signed an agreement with Cacharel. From 2004 the company from Biella has been responsible for the distribution in Italy of the knitwear produced by the Parisian maison. The underwear is manufactured in France by Sil, a factory also belonging to the Eminence group.