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Worse on Purpose

Lotto

Italian performance sportswear and footwear brand known historically for tennis (Navratilova, Becker), soccer (the Stadio boot debuted at the 1990 World Cup), volleyball, and basketball.

Status: Avoid
Founded
1973
HQ
Italy
Manufacturing
Italy,Various
Ownership type
Brand licensing (ABG-style)
Parent
WHP Global (global trademarks); Lotto Sport Italia S.p.A. operates Italy/Europe/MEA
Acquired
2021-08
Status since
2026-04-25

Ownership

The Caberlotto brothers (Alberto, Giovanni, Sergio) founded Lotto in June 1973 in Montebelluna after selling their Caber ski boot brand to Spalding. Lotto Sport Italia (LSI) has been led since the early 1990s by CEO Andrea Tomat, who continues to operate the brand from its Trevignano headquarters. WHP Global acquired the global trademarks in August 2021; LSI retained operational control of Italy, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with WHP and LSI jointly providing services to Lotto's 50+ global licensees who collectively generate over $400 million in annual retail sales across 100+ countries.

Why Avoid

The trademark sits with a brand licensing firm in New York. LSI continues to operate the brand in core European markets, but the global expansion strategy (especially USA) runs through WHP's licensing playbook. Same firm owns Anne Klein, Joseph Abboud, Express, etc.

Reversibility

What would change our verdict

Continued LSI operational control (especially in Italy) with verified manufacturing in Italy for premium tiers.

Sister brands under WHP Global (global trademarks); Lotto Sport Italia S.p.A. operates Italy/Europe/MEA

See all 12 sister brands

Read the full investigation

Investigation · March 23, 2026

Your Backpack Got Worse On Purpose

VF Corporation owns about 55% of the US backpack market. JanSport, The North Face, Eastpak, Kipling. Lower denier counts, generic zippers, warranties rewritten to match the cheaper construction.

Read the full investigation

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