🎤 Interview with Roberto Nembrini – Founder of Floky

We have the pleasure today of interviewing Roberto Nembrini, founder of the Italian sportswear brand Floky, to learn more about his journey, the origins of the brand, and how his products are specifically tailored to the world of padel. From product innovation to brand identity and ambitions for the future, Roberto shares with us the passion and vision behind Floky — a rising name in the growing padel apparel industry.

 

Roberto, can you tell us a bit about your background and career before founding Floky?

I am a management engineer, specialising in launching and structuring start-ups for about 15 years. As an entrepreneur and manager, I specialised in strategic business development.

What inspired you to launch your own brand?

I am a former footballer who interrupted his career at a very young age due to injuries and I believe that sport is discipline and mental and physical wellbeing

What was the turning point that made you enter the sports market with Floky?

It was the feedback from people, amateurs and professionals, who started using our products. So those very benefits for which we were born. In addition to the technological uniqueness of the development and production of our products, guided by biomechanical studies and high-tech silicone applications

How was Floky born? Can you walk us through the early stages of building the brand?

Floky was founded in 2018 and for three years we concentrated only on the design and study of machinery and materials. The first product was launched in 2021, the world’s first biomechanical running sock.

What was your main goal or vision when launching Floky?

The goal was to launch a revolutionary new brand on the market that could totally differentiate itself from all possible competitors, to turn the sporting goods market upside down with highly functional products that would be good for sportspeople and beyond. And to do something unique.

How would you describe Floky’s DNA? What makes your products unique?

Study of movement through the principles of biomechanics and the use of our innovative and patented silicone printing technology. And of course the benefit we give people!

Floky is known for its technical fabrics — what sets them apart, especially for padel players?

We combine the fabric with our silicone applications, this combination can protect tendons and muscles from injury, speed up post-activity recovery and thus improve performance

How are your garments specifically designed for padel (mobility, sweat management, aesthetics, etc.)?

Our products are designed to reduce vibration, stabilise muscles, increase oxygenation, and promote microcirculation by reducing inflammation and possible tendon and muscle problems. We want to prevent enjuries and increase the performance as consequence.

Are all your products made in Italy? Can you tell us more about your production process and choice of materials?

We produce everything in Italy and the machinery used for the products is all designed by us. We have 12 patents protecting our technologies and the production process involves 6 steps, from fabric to silicone printing.

Do you collaborate with players or coaches when developing your apparel lines?

Yes absolutely, the design is done by Dr Testa, internationally renowned biomechanics and then we involve athletes in the various sports for scientific and athletic testing. We were created to really benefit the athletes, so it is crucial for us to listen to their feedback during development.

How do you position Floky in the padel market? Would you say it’s more performance-driven, premium, or lifestyle-oriented?

Floky is protection, wellness and sports longevity. Performance is a consequence, if you are well, train well and have no injuries, you will certainly perform better!

What have been some of the biggest challenges in getting the brand known within the padel community?

The fact that we came out of nowhere and we are a new product concept, but the feedback from the athletes has spoken for us.

Do you work with ambassadors or influencers in the padel world to promote Floky?

Yes of course, this is our Floky Team: Augustin Tapia, Mike Yanguas, Paula Josemaria and Bela. The best have chosen us! And others many many top player in all the world.

Would you be able to share any figures on Floky’s growth so far (units sold, revenue, etc.)?

We are growing fast and expanding globally, we are present in about 25 countries and in Italy alone we are present in about 600 specialised shops. In Spain and France we started a little while ago but we are almost at 100.

Which markets are you currently active in, and what are your next steps in terms of international expansion?

Now we cover all the Europe , North, Center and Sud America and UAE. We are launching also the West and South Africa.

Where do you see Floky in 3 to 5 years?

We were born with the vision of disrupting the market, and we will disrupt it. Thanks to our differentiation parameters we have created a new market, that of highly functional sporting goods, and of course I want to be the first brand in the world with these characteristics. We will work hard for that!

Are there any upcoming collaborations or limited collections we should look out for?

Yes, at the end of May we will launch the sleeve in collaboration with Augustin Tapia. We are looking forward to it!

Do you think padel will continue to grow across Europe? And how is Floky adapting to that momentum?

I believe that this trend will not stop and Padel will become everyone’s sport, more and more people, young people and children will get into it. We will continue to bring innovation and develop products that can protect this great passion, playing Padel.

Any final message you’d like to share with the Padelist.net community?

Floky was born from a vision, from a dream, from the desire to do something unique and useful. These dreams must be nurtured with great commitment, dedication and passion and only then can they come true. Because only through great effort can great results be achieved, in sport as in life. Floky is the result of all this!