Gola re-released its 1970s trainers and a Made in England line to revive the British brand

Gola, founded in 1905 as a football-boot maker, became a British sporting icon through the 1970s and 1980s, remembered for its trainers and messenger bags. By the 2010s it was a heritage name competing in a crowded trainer market.

In 2016, with the brand at 110 years old, Gola leaned into its roots: it re-released the Bullet, a multi-purpose training shoe first launched in 1976 that had become a hit with bloggers, and brought back the Coaster, an authentic canvas style from the same era.

The brand also launched a Made in England capsule collection, honoring a time when all its product was made at home, and kept the Harrier — its flagship since 1968 — at the center of the range. The strategy rode a wider resurgence of classic trainers and athleisure.

Gola re-released the Bullet (1976) and Harrier (since 1968), added a Made in England capsule, and pushed US expansion in 2016.

Back-catalogue re-releases were authentic, not retro pastiche

Made in England capsules gave the heritage claim substance

The classic-trainer trend was rising across the market

Blogger buzz on the Bullet showed younger demand

For a heritage brand, the archive is a product pipeline: re-releasing authentic back-catalogue styles with a small Made in England capsule builds credibility that generic retro styling cannot copy.

Gola continued as a heritage lifestyle brand, celebrating 120 years in 2025 with anniversary capsule collections and a global retail presence. The 2016 pivot — authentic re-releases plus Made in England product — became the template for how the 110-year-old British brand stayed relevant through fashion cycles.