The Makers of Adidas And Puma Are Brothers
Adidas and Puma are famous shoe brands around the world, but many do not know that two estranged German brothers founded both these multinational companies are brothers.
Yes! Adolf Dassler also known as Adi was the founder of the sportswear company Adidas, and his younger brother Rudolf Dassler also known as Rudi was the founder of Puma.
Together start
Adolf, who was a sports fanatic, began to make primarily hand-sewn athletic footwear in his mother’s wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach after his return from World War I.
Soon his brother Rudolf returned and joined their small shoemaking business called Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory and worked hard to make it a success.
After a few years, they tasted success, and their business bolstered soon. Then the Dasslers were selling around 200,000 pairs of shoes every year.
The Bitter rivalry
Their business expanded so did their competition. The rift between the brothers led to the split of Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1948, dividing the assets and the employees among themselves.
The bitterness between them was so very fierce that the town of Herzogenaurach was divided and the issue is now registered in history with the name as “The town of bent necks” – people looked down to see which shoes were worn by others. Even the town’s famous football teams were divided into two teams.
The birth of Adidas and Puma
Adi named his company “Adidas,” after his nickname. Rudi founded Puma on the other side of town and kept his company name’ “Ruda”. Then eventually changed it to “Puma.”
The two brothers never reunited but they were buried in the same cemetery. As per sources they have spaced as far apart as possible.
