Gitzo
Gitzo S.A. is a manufacturer of photographic accessories, including bags, but specialising in tripods and supports.
Founded in France by Arsène Gitzhoven in 1917 initially producing cameras, shutters, and cable releases, but between 1942 and 1944 with World War II, the company closed for the duration of the occupation.
During the 1950s, tripods were introduced into their product range, and shortly after, Gitzhoven retired, and his daughter, Yvonne Plieger took over the company. She and her husband became more and more dedicated to creating a range of high quality photographic tripods.
In 1992, Gitzo became part of the Vitec group, that also owns Manfrotto, described in corporate literature as "a multinational holding company specialised in supporting professional photographers, broadcasters and filmmakers."[1]
In 2005, Gitzo completed their transfer of production from France to Italy, a process which began in 2001.[1]