There is an Italian brand that represents absolute excellence in the small-scale artisanal production of high quality skating boots: we are talking about Belati. We explain to you what it is.
THE BELATI COMPANY
The Belati company was founded in 1967, when Girolamo Giovanni Belati decided to start the production of sports footwear, dedicating itself in particular to the production of skating boots. These are the years of economic boom in Italy, and Giovanni is an excellent technician and a good entrepreneur: in a short time his company manages to develop the first models skating boots, which are immediately appreciated by the skaters of the time. The company moved to its current headquarters in Chiari, in the province of Brescia, in 1977, as a result of the need to have more space available to make the Belati branded boots which, in the meanwhile, have become a point of reference in the skating world. In the same others historic brands were born of Made in Italy skating footwear, which still dominate the market for quality and innovation. The Belati company is therefore faced with a choice: to follow the competitors by investing in its production lines to become an industry of technical footwear, or remain a company with an artisan vocation, with the production rhythms dictated by mastery of its staff. Belati will choose the second path: even today, after three generations of entrepreneurs, the brand is firmly in the hands of the Belati family, and is characterized from a process managed mainly by hand (although, obviously, supported by technologies and modern equipment), the attention to detail, the ability to customize products and from attention to the individual customer.
The Belati company is able to produce skating boots for all ice and wheels disciplines, and has the ability to supply completely customized products, in short times and using, on request, materials of completely natural origin.
It is therefore a perfect brand for those who appreciate handcrafted products, with characteristics that make them unique and not achievable in mass production, made on request with valuable materials and customized finishes. All with the guarantee of Made in Italy, at a price accessible and in line with the quality offered.
The company motto is: "It is not the foot that adapts to the shoe, but the shoe that adapts to the foot"
THE BELATI PRODUCTS
Belati offers a complete range of skating boots, both for the various disciplines of ice skating and artistic roller skating. The complete range of products and their characteristics are visible both on the company website belatiskates.com, and on our e-commerce website, just search using the keyword "Belati" (click here). On the RooL ART website, being Belati official dealers and technical assistance center, the prices of are also visible for the products available ex-stock, as well as the contacts you can use to request more information. In In particular, we advise you to visit or call our store to find the exact size of your Belati boots. As for the boots maded on request, such as for example the models for ice skating, we are still able to provide you with all the commercial and technical information necessary and give an indication of the delivery times, which normally are around 30 days even for models made on measure.
BELATI SKATING BOOTS FROM THE TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Belati skating boots are made on a synthetic material insole with a reduced thickness compared to the competitor products: the advantage is that the "tool" in contact with the track -ice blade or frame/wheel assembly- is more near athlete's foot. This can be easily verified by evaluating the thickness with your fingers between the lower part of the sole and the support surface of the foot in the boot, in the central area of the footwear. The height of the heel is in line with that of the other products available on the market, while the shape used has a width corresponding to the so-called "ball" (the widest part of the forefoot) typically more comfortable than that present in the majority of competing products. That is it undoubtedly guarantees greater comfort for athletes who have a "wide" foot, even without the need of custom modifications.
Sole and heel are made, in the models for beginners and mid-range athletes, in PVC, in a single piece. This guarantees constructive simplicity and excellent sturdiness. In medium-high and high-end products, however, the heel is made of covered natural leather (although the version with visible leather can be requested) and the sole is in microfiber: a material that makes it thin and light. The hooks for the laces are particularly stable and robust, as they are made by die-casting. As we said previously, the upper is made in microfibre, but it can also be requested in the natural leather version. Indeed, the whole boot can be made of leather: in this case the whole footwear will be particularly breathable and will adapt exceptionally to the shape of the athlete's foot wearing it. It is therefore a suitable solution for athletes with size stable foot and with the need to wear the boots for many hours, even every day of the week.
As regards the weight of the Belati boots, thanks to the technological innovations adopted by the company in the last 10 years, it has been brought to an equivalent level, and indeed generally lower than that of the boots of equivalent class proposed by the competitors.
We at RooL ART have developed, to support our Customers, a special and optimized procedure for the thermoforming of the Belati boots, which is based on the use of temperatures and times that guarantee a perfect final comfort of the boot. We are also able to produce special tools in a very short time for the conformation of the boots in order to adapt them to particular anatomical conformations of the foot for the athletes who have this customization need.
As regards the assembly of the Belati boots, whether they are products for the ice sector or wheels, RooL ART can carry out a perfect job in its laboratory, guaranteeing the centering of the blade/frame thanks to the use of its purposely-developed digital optical centering system. The operation is facilitated by the fact that Belati ankle boots, being handmade, have an upper that is practically always well centred compared to the sole, a rather critical operation for other companies that work on higher production volumes.
OTHER INFORMATION
If you would like more information on Belati boots, or would like to discuss the need to make one custom boot, or for any other technical or commercial question, do not hesitate to contact us: our staff is at your disposal. Our contacts are available at this link.