P edro Grendene Bartelle is a Brazilian billionaire who, along with his late identical twin brother, Alexandre Grendene Bartelle, co-founded Grendene, one of the world's largest and most successful footwear manufacturers. The brothers founded the company in the 1970s, initially producing plastic packaging for wine bottles. They later pivoted to producing plastic footwear, a move that would be the foundation of their massive fortune. Their breakthrough came in the 1980s with the creation of the Melissa brand of colorful, plastic 'jelly' sandals, which became a massive international fashion craze.
They have since built Grendene into a global footwear powerhouse, producing millions of pairs of shoes a year under a portfolio of well-known brands, including Melissa, Ipanema, and Rider. The company is particularly famous for its successful partnership with the Brazilian supermodel, Gisele Bündchen, on a line of Ipanema flip-flops. While his brother Alexandre passed away in 2023, Pedro remains the chairman of the publicly traded company, and their family retains a controlling stake.
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