The Untold Story of Varlion’s Rise, Fall, and Rise Again

In this episode of Padel Smash TV, we sit down with Felix Regalia, CEO and Founder of Varlion, one of the most iconic brands in padel history.Felix shares the incredible story behind how Varlion started in Argentina in 1993, how the brand became a market leader through product innovation, and what happened during a difficult period of instability that forced the company to rebuild. He opens up about relaunching the brand, redesigning the collection, and building what he calls the next phase of Varlion’s legacy.We also dive into why Felix believes the U.S. padel market today is similar to Spain in 1999, why he plans to personally lead Varlion’s expansion in America, and how the brand wants to win through product quality, hands-on education, key accounts, and direct market development.On top of that, Felix talks about Varlion’s innovation mindset, new collections, expansion into pickleball, and the long-term goal of transferring decades of padel knowledge into other racket sports.If you follow the business of padel, racket innovation, and the future of the U.S. market, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.Topics covered:00:00 Intro00:35 Meet Felix Regalia00:51 How Varlion Started in Argentina01:44 Early innovation and growth02:10 Becoming a leader in padel02:23 What went wrong for Varlion04:04 Restructuring the business05:08 Major internal fraud and setbacks06:54 Restarting from zero07:03 The Varlion Legacy relaunch07:22 Expansion into pickleball and beyond08:35 Strategy for the U.S. market09:05 Why product testing drives loyalty09:33 Felix moving to the U.S.10:14 Why America feels like Spain in 199910:52 Building the American team11:16 Winning through education and market presence