Fumarel

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Fumarel S.L.
Company typeSociedad limitada
IndustryRetail
Founded1987; 37 years ago (1987)
Founders
  • Cosme Domecq y Gandarias
  • Gabriel Narváez y Gandarias
HeadquartersGlorieta de Quevedo 8,

Madrid
28014
,
Spain
ProductsClothing, accessories
Websitewww.fumarel.com

Fumarel (Spanish pronunciation: [fumaˈɾel]), is a Spanish clothing company, specialising in technical sportswear. It takes its name from the black tern (chlidonias niger), a small seabird known in Spanish as fumarel.

It was founded in 1987 by two cousins from distinguished families, with the aim of providing high-performance equipment for the outdoors while maintaining classic and timeless designs.[1] As a brand dedicated to clothing for luxurious sports (i.e. skiing, hunting, polo, or sailing), Fumarel became strongly associated with the upper classes,[2] and was commonly worn by the Spanish royal family.[3][4] Bruno Gómez-Acebo, Infanta Pilar's second son, was one of its boardmembers.[5][6]

In 2008, the firm filed for bankruptcy following a debt moratorium as a result of the worldwide financial crash.[7][8] Since 2017, Fumarel has been relaunched by the co-founder's son, Pedro Domecq.[9]

History[edit]

A Fumarel store in Madrid, 1999

Fumarel was founded in 1987 by two maternal first cousins, Cosme Domecq, son of the 3rd Marquess of Casa Domecq, and Gabriel Narváez, grandchild of the 3rd Marquess of Oquendo and a descendant of Ramón María Narváez, 1st Duke of Valencia. The latter would die in a car crash in Portugal in 1995, at the age of 29.[10]

Since there weren't many brands specilising in a broad spectrum of luxurious sports, both aristocrats decided to produce high-end sporting equipment covering areas such as polo, horse-riding, golf, winter sports, hunting, sailing, and padel.

The brand became notorious after it supplied the clothing for the 1989 expedition to the Himalayas sponsored by Motorola and Banco Central Hispano. The firm grew in popularity and by 1999 it was the official purveyor of the national teams of padel, sailing, golf, and winter sports of Spain.[11] The following year, it became the official sponsor of the Spanish Olympic Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[12][13]

By the start of the 21st century, the brand had 20 stores of its own in Spain, and expanded its presence to the United States in 2003, after it was popularised in the universities of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and South California.[14] There were 3 official stores in Madrid, namely at the shopping malls of Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, La Moraleja, and Arturo Soria.

The brand is nowadays primarily sold online or through stands at sporting events, following the closure of its last boutique in 2011.

Products[edit]

Apparel[edit]

Fumarel sells a range of clothing items, varying from men's and women's shirts, polos, jackets and accessories i.e. headgear or towels. The first Fumarel item of apparel was a polo shirt, designed in 1987.

A Fumarel piqué polo shirt in jade. Introduced in 1987

In 2003, it cobranded the production of merchandising and apparel of the universities of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and South California.

Sportswear[edit]

Polo[edit]

One of the main focuses of Fumarel has always been polo kits, and the associated equipment, having sponsored many polo clubs and competitions. The National team of Spain wore Fumarel until the mid 2000's.

Horse-riding[edit]

Fumarel was the official sponsor of the 2002 World Equestrian Games and produced equestrian garments but ceased to manufacture horse-riding equipment after insolvency.

Golf[edit]

Fumarel mainly produced gloves, tops and caps, although at one point it manufactured golf shoes as well.

Winter sports[edit]

The company was a pioneer in the Gore-Tex industry, and still produces coats and parkas. Fumarel developed its products mainly for skiing and snowboarding purposes, although it also catered mushing. In 2004, it sponsored the "Pirena" race, which consists in crossing the Pyrenees with a sled pulled by dogs.

Mushing team sponsored by Fumarel in the Pyrenees, 2004

Sailing[edit]

Another of the strong areas of specialty was sailing equipment. It has sponsored the 2003 Women's Match Racing World Championship Invitational at Newport Yacht Club. The Banco Espírito Santo regatta team won a series of championships in 2002 equipped with Fumarel. These were the National Championship of Spain, the Tournament of H.M. The Queen and the Breitling Regatta.[15][16][17]

Padel[edit]

Fumarel still continues to produce padel equipment, including racquets. It sponsored Spain's national team and association.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Riano, P. (7 May 2012). "Las marcas de España en conflicto por los Juegos Olímpicos". www.modaes.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  2. ^ Rodríguez, Félix (2002). El lenguaje de los jóvenes (in Spanish). Ariel. p. 211. ISBN 978-84-344-4248-1.
  3. ^ Zavala, José María (2017-11-23). Pasiones regias: De los Saboya a los Borbones, las intrigas más desconocidas y escandalosas de la Historia (in Spanish). PLAZA & JANÉS. ISBN 978-84-01-01974-6.
  4. ^ Abad, José García (2004). La soledad del rey: está la monarquía consolidada 25 años después de la constitución? (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. p. 218. ISBN 978-84-9734-160-8.
  5. ^ "CRM destinó 1,5 millones de euros a una empresa cuando un primo de Esperanza Aguirre entró en su accionariado". www.elsaltodiario.com (in local). Retrieved 2024-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  6. ^ González, Juan Luis Galiacho/David (2020-01-11). "Esos son los hijos varones de la Infanta Pilar: las peculiares vi". elcierredigital.com. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  7. ^ Marco, Agustín (2011-07-05). "Rato ofrece a Claudio Aguirre el consejo de Bankia para ganar notoriedad". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  8. ^ Foro de Marcas Renombradas Españolas, Atlas of the Leading Brands of Spain: Analysis of Spain's International Presence, p. 48
  9. ^ Sevilla, Diario de (2018-11-14). "No pensamos en moda, sino en combinar rendimiento y polivalencia". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  10. ^ "ABC MADRID 20-05-1995 página 96 - Archivo ABC". abc. 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  11. ^ Tiempo de hoy (in Spanish). Ediciones Tiempo, S.A. 1999.
  12. ^ Nast, Condé (2012-05-07). "Los controvertidos uniformes de nuestros olímpicos". Vanity Fair (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  13. ^ "El chándal olímpico español y el uniforme inaugural: de Barcelona 92 a Londres 2012". Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  14. ^ "Fumarel, la marca de los amantes del deporte al aire libre, abre tienda online". EXPANSION (in Spanish). 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  15. ^ Ortiz, Juan Pérez (2002-07-08). "El 'Espirito Santo' bate en Valencia el récord de triunfos consecutivos al ganar el trofeo SM La Reina". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  16. ^ "El Bribón se impone en la novena edición de la Regata Breitling-Illes Balears en Puerto Portals". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2003-07-20. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  17. ^ "El «Lanjarón» ya lo hizo en el 92". Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2002-07-07. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
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