Henke

In 1936 the firm broke down but the family retained the management. Henke specialized later in ski boots and profited from the post-war boom of skiing. One of its most successful models was the 1955 Stein Eriksen, a two-lace model.

 

In 1956, Henke was the first Company in the world to introduce buckle boot, the Speedfit (with four metal hooks). Martin, a Swiss stunt pilot invented it, still used today. In the 60s, after having built factories in Austria, Italy and Germany, Henke was the largest boots producers in the world (also the best selling ski boots in the U.S.A. represented in the U.S. by Bernie Murith, in Scardale, NY) producing up to 1200 pairs a day with 1500 employees. In the early 70s Henke launched a plastic three-piece boots the Strato, with which Roland Collombin won the silver medal in the Olympic downhill in Sapporo (1972). Nonetheless, the Company folded in 1973 when its export market, strongly focused on the U.S., couldn’t survive the declining value of the U.S. dollar.