The origins of our story
Milan and the mountains represented for Vitale Bramani, and still represents for Vibram, a forge of opportunities and the place of choice. Both in the city and in the nature, Vibram’s sole is not just the answer to a practical need but a symbol of innovation and a revolutionary and essential solution for our everyday life and for our most adventurous moments.
Talented mountaineer and successful industrialist.
Vitale Bramani has left its mark on Italian mountaineering and international entrepreneurship.
He was born in Milan on 3 May 1900, and already as a child he shows an out-of-the-ordinary energy, which he channels in his relationship with the mountains. After many successes throughout the Alps in 1933, he receives the gold medal for mountaineering valour from the CAI. In 1937, the mountaineer side of Vitale gives way to his inventor side - by designing the Carrarmato sole - and then to visionary entrepreneurship. His strong-willed, intuitive and enterprising spirit always accompanied him, because, as he once said in an interview with Walter Tobagi: "Never dwell on old ideas".
He was born in Milan on 3 May 1900, and already as a child he shows an out-of-the-ordinary energy, which he channels in his relationship with the mountains. After many successes throughout the Alps in 1933, he receives the gold medal for mountaineering valour from the CAI. In 1937, the mountaineer side of Vitale gives way to his inventor side - by designing the Carrarmato sole - and then to visionary entrepreneurship. His strong-willed, intuitive and enterprising spirit always accompanied him, because, as he once said in an interview with Walter Tobagi: "Never dwell on old ideas".
"The high mountains are, to me, a feeling." (Reinhold Messner).
In our collective imagination, the mountains are a timeless place; a teacher of life, sincere and cruel, a physical and spiritual escape for every explorer and mountaineer confronted with them.
For Vitale Bramani the mountains are also a source of inspiration; this is where his extraordinary invention is born, the Carrarmato sole. Since then, Vibram has continued to accompany the journey of many mountaineers and explorers on snow, ice, rocky terrain, from the Alps to the Himalayas, “climbing” the highest peaks in the world for more than eighty years. Our company has always had the constant commitment to communicate the culture and respect for the mountains, helping to connect humans to the Earth.
For Vitale Bramani the mountains are also a source of inspiration; this is where his extraordinary invention is born, the Carrarmato sole. Since then, Vibram has continued to accompany the journey of many mountaineers and explorers on snow, ice, rocky terrain, from the Alps to the Himalayas, “climbing” the highest peaks in the world for more than eighty years. Our company has always had the constant commitment to communicate the culture and respect for the mountains, helping to connect humans to the Earth.
The city surrounded by the mountains.
On sunny days, between the spires of the Duomo in Milan, the Alps seem almost within reach. It is here, on these mountains so close to the Lombard capital, that Vitale Bramani lays the foundations for his future as a mountain guide. In 1928, Vitale and his wife Maria Fasana open the first Vibram shop in the heart of Milan: a store of clothing and equipment specialised for mountaineering, which also provides ski repair services. Vibram store soon becomes a meeting point for the Milanese community of mountaineers, who meet here to discuss climbing and excursions they want to organise. Over the years, Vibram store becomes a synonym of avant-garde, thanks to all the innovations regarding mountaineering equipment.
