Companies

Kyaia and Fly London: decades of delivering shoes to the world

Jul 29, 2024 Portugal

The Portuguese brand Fly London was founded by Fortunato Frederico exactly 30 years ago. But this year also marks the 40th anniversary of its parent company Kyaia. Let’s find out more

When he was fourteen, Fortunato Frederico began working at Campeão Português, a textile factory that would become one of the biggest footwear companies in Portugal. Later, at the age of 24, he did his military service in Angola, specifically in Kyaia. Fortunato Frederico returned to Portugal in June 1969 and (re)started working at Campeão Português, but he left a year later to join another footwear company.

It was in 1984 that Fortunato Frederico founded Kyaia – Fortunato O. Frederico & Cª. LDA, a company dedicated to the production and export of footwear. At that time, the business employed just 50 people and produced 500 pairs of shoes a day.

“Over the past decades, our ambition has been to create value and history. Striving for autonomy and independence, quality and innovation, credibility and robustness”, says Fortunato Frederico. In 1989, increased demand but difficulties in hiring new staff led to the need to increase production capacity. An ambitious plan was drawn up: to create a factory in Paredes de Coura to support the main factory in Guimarães.

A few years later, in 1994, Fortunato Frederico acquired Fly London at an international trade fair. “Kyaia was strong, with a good foothold in the market, all we needed was to fly. We looked at Fly and fell in love. We went to the owner and said: ‘I don't know if it’s a lot or a little, but I’ll pay back everything you’ve spent on the brand so far’. He liked our offer, and we closed the deal. I’m not sure how much it was, maybe 10,000 escudos [50,000 euros], which was a lot of money at the time”, the businessman explained to Jornal de Negócios in 2018.

As part of the fashion market, Fly London creates models full of originality, with its own interpretation of trends, and that’s why it has always been at the forefront of international fashion.

In 2005, Kyaia bought the Foreva / Sapatália chain of stores, thus taking a significant market share in the Portuguese footwear retail sector and, a year later, it developed and created the Softinos footwear brand. In 2018, the group launched OVERCUBE, S.A, an online marketplace intended to promote a new and inspiring online shopping experience.

“Creating business by producing footwear, fairly creating jobs and investments, creating value and uniqueness through creativity and synergies, expanding financial results and business credibility with rigour, competence and seriousness have been, and still are, constants in my life”, states Fortunato Frederico.

Kyaia currently employs 600 people and is one of the largest companies in the Portuguese footwear industry. With a turnover of 55 million euros and a business model that extends beyond footwear production to the areas of distribution, retail, real estate and information technology.

But to celebrate Fly London’s anniversary, the brand has reintroduced a boot that was a hit in the 90s. Available in black and red, the iconic boots have been brought to life and can be found online and in the brand’s physical stores.

Image Credits: portugueseshoes.pt

Portugal Brands Companies Footwear Portuguese Shoes