The company was founded in 1974 by Sang Sem Chiang, the Group's Executive Chairman, who started the business of designing, manufacturing, and wholesaling
leather goods in
Singapore. He named the company "Bonia" in tribute to 16th century sculptor
Giambologna during a trip to a leather trade fair in
Bologna,
Italy. In 1978, Chiang moved the headquarters to
Malaysia from
Singapore.
Fiscal performance and acquisition ,
Vietnam. For the
fiscal year ending June 2011, Bonia had sales of 461.38 million
Malaysian Ringgits. For the fiscal year ending June 2012, Bonia had sales of 579.81 million Malaysian Ringgits (US$182.39 million), which is 25.7% higher than in 2011. In 2010, Bonia purchased a 70% stake in Singapore-based Jeco Pte Ltd which is the licensee of
Pierre Cardin’s leather goods in Singapore and also the master licensee for
Renoma in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Jeco is also the sole distributor of
Bruno Magli products in Singapore and the owner of trademark and brand representative of in Asia Pacific. In 2012, Bonia acquired a 49% shareholding in German leather goods producer Braun Büffel for an estimated price of EUR 3.2 million through Jeco Pte Ltd. As part of the deal, Bonia also acquired a registered trade mark in the UAE, the US and Canada. In 2013, Jeco, the Bonia subsidiary, brought on Damiano Biella as the creative director for Braun Buffel. Biella was responsible for overseeing a design team in Singapore and working with the German brand. In 2019, Fabio Panzeri took over as the creative director, succeeding Damiano Biella in this role. == Brands ==