Adolf Dassler: biography and photos. Dassler Brothers Company

Every person, even far from the sports world, has at least one thing from Adidas or Puma in the wardrobe, and there is hardly anyone who has never heard the names of these brands. Has anyone thought about who discovered these companies and why they are compared, like Kolya and Pepsi? It turns out that the founders of the brands were the blood brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler.

Biography

Adi was born (as he was called at home) in 1900 and became the fourth child in a middle-income family. My father worked in the bakery, and my mother worked in the laundry. After the defeat of the German army in the First World War, Dassler's home came hard times. In the country of devastation, officers return from the front, inflation - and Adolp's parents remain unemployed.

For 2 years they found work-outs in order to somehow survive, and eventually decided to open their own business.

To implement their idea, they approached thoroughly: the laundry was turned into a workshop for future production, the bicycle was converted into a mechanism for skinning skins, the guys together with their father were engaged in cutting shoes, and the female half of the family - a pattern from the canvas.

The first collection looked like home slippers. The cloth for their creation was military uniform, and the sole was replaced by tires from the wheels of cars. Within a few years they allowed themselves to employ a workforce of 8 people, as more than 50 couples were produced per day. Rudolph dealt with commercial issues, and the organization of the production process took over in his own hands Adolf Dassler.

Photo of the founders of warring brands

After 28 years of living together under one roof, the Dassler brothers turn into rivals. Their factories are built on opposite ends of the city. A big rivalry was transferred to the workers of the enterprises, and before they started talking about another company, they looked around to not blurt out too much. After that, Herzogenaurach received its second name - "the city of curved necks".

The brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler died, and reconciliation between them never happened. The current leadership of the two companies tried not to contact each other once again. However, on September 21, 2009, on International Peace Day, playing a friendly football match, they decided to stop rivalry and restore good relations.

There is an opinion that such a decision was made because of the sports brand Nike, which took a large share of the market, but it's true or not, nobody knows.

The first logo of the joint venture

The "Dassler Brothers' Shoe Factory in Herzogenaurach" was registered in the middle of the summer of 1924. Adolf Dasler was a thoughtful and talented designer, and Rudy was an excellent seller. Different characters and human qualities perfectly complemented the cooperation of the brothers.

The next year a significant event for the fate of the factory took place. Adi's passion for football became the basis for creating the world's first sports boot with spikes. Soon this novelty, as well as slippers, turned into the main products of the company. Professional athletes, namely football players quickly appreciated the convenience of boots, and soon the company of brothers began to expand at an incredible pace. The staff of the employees expanded to 25, and the number of footwear produced exceeded 100 couples per day.

Popularity "Adidas": significant dates

1920 - Adolf Dassler creates the world's first sports shoes. It was done by hand, the working process took place in the kitchen of his house.

1924 - the founding of the family business of the Dassler brothers. Over the release of shoes the whole family is working.

1927 - domestic production grows into the "Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory", where 25 people work. The family buys a separate building for the company.

1928 - sports shoes, produced by the company of brothers, participates in competitions in Amsterdam.

1931 - Adolf Dassler produces shoes for tennis players.

1936 - the birth of a son.

1938 - the opening of the second factory.

1948 - brothers' quarrel, division of the family business.

1954 - the annual output of products "Adidas" exceeded the mark of 450 thousand.

1956 - The Norwegian factory receives a license. Adidas shoes are produced outside Germany.

1959 - Adi Horst's son opens a firm in France.

1962 - appearance of a sports suit with three stripes.

1978 - Adolf Dassler, the founder of Adidas, dies.

After his death, the firm passed into the hands of his wife Katarina. When the widow was gone, Her son Horst became the head of Adidas.

The founder of "Adidas"

1948 became fatal: the ways of the brothers diverge, and already the world-famous company "Dassler" by that time ceases to exist. Each of them gets his own factory, and under the concluded contract none of them had the right to use Dassler's name in the name of his company. Thus there was a firm "Adidas", the founder of which was Adolf Dassler. From this moment the biography of the brothers was divided into "before" and "after". This was the beginning of a tough competition between blood relatives long in 60 years.

In the same year, the situation between brothers was even more exacerbated by the creation and registration of the famous "three strips" (the distinctive symbol "Adidas"). The fact is that the family logo Dassler originally had 2 strips, and Adi added one more.

In 1949, Adolf Dassler's company produces shoes already with rubber studs, and thus ahead of the Puma brand in the competitive struggle. But the biggest victory happened in 1952 at the Olympics in Helsinki, when most of the athletes were shod in Adidas shoes.

Founder of the sports brand Puma

The name was invented by Rudolph after he and his brother quarreled to the nines. Of course, the Puma brand does not boast of the fact that many sportsmen preferred it after the disintegration, but some players of the German national football team left on the field in boots created by the company Rudolf.

The first victory happened only in 1952, when Joseph Bartel, shod in the brand's products, won the race at a distance of 1500 meters. In 2 years there was another triumph: the world record for running for a short distance. Established him Heinz Futterer was in sneakers from Puma.

It is strange that despite the fact that many celebrities won and, in modern terms, "promoted" the company, the famous logo appeared only in 1960.

A real revolution in the sports world occurred when this brand in 1990 released a children's collection of shoes, where their size was controlled by a baby's foot.

Our days

The company was able to open its own office only in 1999, apparently, the spirit of rivalry was in the first place and did not allow to lag behind competitors. The ultra modern building is located in the city of Herzogenaurach, where the "friendly" brothers were born. In the millennium the French team, fully shod and dressed in the brand's products, becomes the European champion in football, and this further increases the world status of the company.

The following year, Herbert Heiner became the head of the company. Acquisition of the "Reebok" brand further strengthens its importance, and "Adidas" becomes the second popular brand, giving way to the leadership of "Nike".

Today the main activity of the company, as well as at the beginning of development, is aimed at the production of sports products and continuous improvement. At the World Cup, held in South Africa, the whole planet watched the game of football players with the ball Jabulani, who produced the Adolphe Dassler brand Adidas.

Interesting Facts

1. The cause of the quarrel between the brothers is still unknown. As they say, they carried her to the grave.

2. In the shoes of the Adidas brand, celebrities such as Marat Safin, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Mohammed Ali, David Beckham and many others have won.

A large distribution of products "Adidas" is fixed in Russia. It is worn by many celebrities, most of them signed a contract with the firm and receive a good amount for this.

Monument and personal qualities of Adi Dassler

Adolf never put commercial success in the first place - this bar has always been occupied by his boundless love of sport. Since childhood he was active, even at the age of 75 he continued to play tennis and liked to swim in the pool. Before the last breath, Adolf Dassler was busy with the affairs of his famous sports brand.

In 2006, in the city of Herzogenaurach, where the founder of the firm Adidas was born, a monument was erected in his honor. There is a monument in the stadium, named after him. Bronze Adolf Dassler sits on the second row, watches the game among the living people, and in his hands holds a football boot that once conquered the world and gave fame to a simple shoemaker from a poor family.