subject: Branching into sportswear as well [print this page] Branching into sportswear as well Branching into sportswear as well
A German named Christoph Dassler, who lived in the city of Herzogenaurach in the Bavarian region of Germany, worked in a shoe factory before World War II, his wife ran a laundry and had a son named Rudolf, who has also worked with his father at the factory. Rudolf has served in the army during the war and when he returned, he worked in the production of salt near the city of Nuremberg. He finally returned to his hometown in 1924, where it reaches the younger brother Adolf who had formed a shoe factory. This was the beginning of what would become PUMA shoes.
The Dassler Brothers shoe company had humble beginnings as the two brothers used their mother's laundry to make shoes. They had to provide their own electric power sometimes by riding an exercise bike connected to their equipment. the brothers ' big break came in 1936 when Adolf travelled to the summer Olympics in Berlin, where he was able to speak of the great American Director track star Jesse Owens in wearing a pair of their toes. Owens won four gold medals and the shoes of the brothers ' became a hit. Taking advantage of their fame, the Dassler brothers were able to expand its factory and sold thousands of shoes. But the war is long and the two brothers joined the Nazi party. During the course of the war, the brothers had a serious fall out and when the war ended have broken their business. In 1948, Adolf founded Adidas shoes while Rudolf called his new shoe company Ruda. Both companies have thrived in recent years. Rudolf quickly changed its name to PUMA and was able to sponsor many athletes, including the German football team in 1948. In 1949, Rudolf came up with the football boots that had removable in1952 nails and a runner wearing a pair of PUMA won the gold medal at the Olympics in Helsinki. PUMA was identified with the world's most famous athlete, when the company has signed the football great Pel to a marketing contract. PUMA also boasted of having basketball star Walt Frazier and football icon Joe Namath endorse their shoes. The two brothers never reconciled. When Rudolf died in 1974, his two sons, took over the company, which has become a company in 1986. Adolf died in 1978. The couple are buried in the same cemetery, but distant as could be. In 1998, the company, named for the Spanish word for a puma, diversified, branching into sportswear as well.
