A simple invention can change the course of history. A’RCOPEDICO® was born in 1966 with Prof. Elio Parodi and its single product that immediately conquered consumers all over the world. A success based on a universal language: comfort.
Elio Parodi born in Italy, in 1914, graduated in Biological Medicine and Mechanical Engineering, was a natural inventor, being its major creation the A’RCOPEDICO® footwear. The brand reflects its creator idea: an orthopaedic sole with a twin arch system that supports the foot correctly and has a 100% proven comfort. The first models produced were the classic knit shoes characterized for the twin arch support system and a mesh upper part.
“Even today my father's time has still not arrived. It will come later. He often had ideas, but he found himself always overtaken by time. In the end he was always 50 years ahead of the story.”
Enrico Parodi - founder’s son and Board Director of ROPAR, S.A.
The brand A’RCOPEDICO
Classic Line, the first A’RCOPEDICO® footwear collection, and now named Knitted, with more than half a century of existence, is characterized by its techno-elastic knitted mesh, with volumetric control, allowing correct blood circulation, and a double arch sole.
The first pairs of A’RCOPEDICO® shoes were sold by Elio Parodi’s wife, Maria de Lurdes Parodi, that soon realised that the success of the brand has on convincing people to experience the true unparalleled comfort for themselves.
"I had to convince people that were in the cafes to put on the A’RCOPEDICO shoes. People had to experience the sensation. When I convinced them to put the shoes on, I knew I would be able to sell them"
Maria de Lurdes Parodi, President and co-founder of ROPAR, S.A.
In 1982, Enrico Parodi took over direction of the company after his father, continuing the innovative brand’s legacy. In 1999 the first leather models were released, and a few years later the line Lytech®. This one present models with an ultra-light upper part, made of ecological materials, environmental-friendly, and with an elasticity that naturally adapts to the shape of the foot.
The brand produces more that 600 thousand pairs a year, exporting to more than 50 countries, in 5 continents. It has 5 footwear lines, with the original model (Classic Line) still leading the sales. A’RCOPEDICO® has its own brand stores in Portugal and Spain.
Future: A path for innovation
The word vanguard is part of the brand DNA and the search for innovative solutions also. Therefore, the stake on the health segment was inevitable, and thus the Ortomedical® brand was born, specifically designed for sensitive feet, affected by structural changes, and diabetic foot.
Star Shoes is a bold project, a pioneer study of the world’s feet. The project invited 19 different countries to leave their footprints in phenolic foam boxes, and thus create the world’s largest footprint database.
"It's part of our DNA that we continue to strive to improve, innovate and seek out something better for the consumer"
Elio Parodi, founder’s grandson and Executive Director of ROPAR, S.A.
This was a project developed in collaboration with INEGI –Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from University of Porto. Here, new mechanical and biomechanical paradigms of footwear are tested, evaluating the distribution of the foot across the plantar surface of A’RCOPEDICO® models, as well as gait and posture. The results of these tests will be the foundation for the brand’s future and will also help to create the new A’RCOPEDICO® patent.
