Military footwear is, unfortunately, a sector with solid prospects. It is therefore no coincidence that in Switzerland, local group Kybun Joya has acquired the historic Zurich-based brand Elgg, which for decades has been one of the country’s leading manufacturers of military boots. The first model to be developed will be a combat boot designed for women.
The merger
In May 2022, the two Swiss producers of therapeutic footwear, Kybun and Joya, merged. Kybun-branded shoes are manufactured in the small town of Sennwald (St Gallen, Switzerland) and in Italy, while Joya-branded footwear is made in South Korea. The group has now announced the acquisition of a historic name in the Swiss footwear industry: Elgg.
The origins
Founded in 1847, the Elgg brand played a central role in the production of Swiss military boots until the end of the twentieth century. In the 1990s, it employed around 100 people who produced up to 500 pairs of shoes a day. During those years, the company was renowned for the Combat Boot 90 model. Production in Switzerland ceased definitively in 2002. With the relaunch of Elgg, military footwear for the Swiss army will once again be manufactured locally, Shoez.biz reports.
New jobs
Kybun Joya’s co-CEO, Karl Müller, stresses that bringing production back to Switzerland not only preserves essential industrial know-how but will also create new jobs and business for the local supply chain. The company is expected to present the first prototypes of its new products as early as next year. Production will begin with a combat boot designed specifically for women. Subsequently, the company intends to gradually expand manufacturing capacity in Switzerland to produce higher volumes of men’s models. “Swiss soldiers deserve Swiss-made shoes”, said co-CEO Müller.
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