The Ascent of Airness Apparel

The six-year-old label has overtaken famous rivals like Le Coq Sportif to become France's best-selling native sportswear brand

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By Rachel Tiplady

May 2, 2006 at 4:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

It's an early April morning in the clubhouse of the famous Stade de France sports stadium in Paris, and the atmosphere is electric. World-class soccer players from top teams in Britain, France, and Germany stalk through the crowd in their sharp suits and diamond earrings. Along with some of France's leading business and political figures, they are here to celebrate the sixth anniversary of Airness, the hottest sportswear brand in France.

Airness is the one of the most exciting European companies you've never heard of. In just a few years, it has overtaken more established brands like Le Coq Sportif to become the biggest-selling French sportswear company, according to U.S. research firm NPD Group, as well as one of the top-10 bestselling sportswear brands in France. Founded in the troubled Paris suburbs in 1999 by a young Malian sportsman called Malamine Koné, the company is also a perfect counter-example of the racial and economic struggles encountered by most young black immigrants in France. Thanks to Airness' vibrant designs and powerful red and black panther logo, the brand has exploded in the past few years.