Dassler brothers factory. Adolf Dassler pioneered the commercialization of sports

Rudolf Dassler was born in 1898 in the small town of Herzogenaurach, which belongs to Bavaria. Rudolph was born into a poor family of a shoemaker and a laundress and became the third child in the family.

Rudolf's childhood was by no means easy, as the family did not have enough money, and he was forced to work as a linen delivery man in a laundry along with his brothers. IN adolescence Rudolf worked as an assistant in his father's shoe factory. It is worth noting that in 1900 another son was born in the family, the younger brother of Rudolf - Adolf, who became one of key figures on the way to the success of Rudolf Dassler.

In 1914, during the First World War, Rudolph was taken into the army, from where he was sent to the front zone in Belgium, where he spent almost the entire war as a soldier.

After returning to his homeland, Rudolf graduated with honors from police courses and got a job at the local police department in the city of Munich. Despite good ability In this case, Rudolph decided to change jobs and got a job at one of the local factories as a distributor of porcelain products, and later at an enterprise that produced leather products.

In 1923, Rudolf's younger brother invited Rudy to his small shoe factory, which he had opened 3 years before. Rudolf immediately became a full partner of his brother and a share owner of the company. It is worth noting that as a contribution for a share in the company, Rudolf brought one typewriter to the enterprise.

The beginning of the formation of the Dassler shoe company

The Dasslers have been involved in sports since childhood and were ardent fans of it, so the main focus of the company was on the production of sports shoes. In the early stages of its development, the company consisted of the Dassler brothers, a blacksmith friend who designed spikes for sports shoes, and a small production team.

Later, each of the brothers took their place in the company, if the younger brother was mainly engaged in the production of shoes and the development of new models, the older one specialized in sales and brand advertising.

In 1924 the company was officially registered under the name "Gebrüder Dassler". The company's business was getting better every month, the brand's popularity was growing, and production was expanding by leaps and bounds.

A special surge in popularity occurred in 1928, when during the next Olympic Games 3 participants immediately decided to perform in Dassler sneakers. Further, the brand's popularity grew mainly due to major sporting events, so in 1932 a German runner won bronze at the Olympic Games in Gebrüder Dassler sneakers.

A real sensation for the company was the conquest of 4 gold medals at the Olympic Games in Berlin by an American athlete who performed in shoes of the brand of the same name. From that moment on, the whole world started talking about the Dassler brothers and their shoes.

Shoe Company's Big Trouble

It is no secret that the brothers were staunch Nazis and supported the ideas of the Third Reich. At the beginning of World War II, the factory was converted and began to produce shoes for Nazi soldiers.

In 1943, Rudolf Dassler was mobilized to the front, where he managed to find a loophole so as not to participate in hostilities. Rudolph feigned night blindness and began working at the headquarters with papers.

During the offensive of the Red Army, Rudolph fled to the rear, where he was arrested and charged with desertion and sent to a concentration camp. Before reaching the camp, he was released by the Soviet troops, but was again arrested, as it turned out, on the report of his younger brother.

American soldiers took over the factory and began to produce skates that were sent to the United States, in addition, they occupied the Dassler mansion. For the fact that his brother denounced him, Rudolf told the US military that the initiative to help Nazi soldiers with shoes belongs exclusively to his brother. From that moment, the age-old enmity of the Dassler brothers began. Shoe production was resumed only at the end of the war in 1946.

The brothers divided the business among themselves. Thus, two competing factories appeared, which at the beginning of their journey had the names Addas and Ruda.

Development of confrontation

Rudolf Dassler renamed his company Puma, his brother followed suit and renamed his brand Adidas.

From that moment on, the toughest confrontation between shoe companies in the world began, which dragged on for many decades.

Manufacturers begin to sponsor almost all sporting events, in particular football championships. In 1958, Rudy sues his younger brother for an advertising slogan that claims Adidas is the best shoes for sports all over the world.

Over the years, the confrontation subsides a bit, the brothers conclude an agreement not to advertise shoes from the best football players in the world, so as not to raise prices in the advertising market, and transfer the reins of control of their companies to their sons Armin and Horst.

In 1970, Puma breaks the agreement and signs a contract with Pele, the most famous football player of the time. At the start of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Pele enters the match wearing Puma boots and starts tying his shoelaces in the very center of the circle before the match even starts. Hatred between brothers flares up with new force and passed on to his sons, starting a new stage of confrontation between world leaders in the production of footwear for sports.

Rudolf Dassler dies in 1976 from cancer, Adolf Dassler did not come to the funeral and did not comment on his brother's death.

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

Biography

Adi was born (as he was called at home) in 1900 and became middle-class. His father worked in a bakery and his mother worked in a laundry. After the defeat of the German army in World War I, difficult times came to the Dassler house. There is devastation in the country, officers return from the front, inflation - and Adolf's parents are left without work.

For 2 years they found part-time jobs in order to somehow survive, and in the end they decided to open their own business.

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

The first collection looked like slippers. The fabric for their creation was military uniforms, and the soles were replaced by tires from car wheels. Within a few years, they allowed themselves to hire a workforce of 8 people, since more than 50 pairs had to be produced per day. Rudolf dealt with commercial matters, and Adolf Dassler took over the organization of the production process.

Photos of the founders of the warring brands

After 28 years of living together under the same roof, the Dassler brothers are turning into rivals. Their factories are built on opposite ends of the city. A lot of rivalry was transferred to the employees of enterprises, and before starting a conversation about another company, they looked around so as not to 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 management of the two companies tried once again not to contact each other. However, on September 21, 2009, having played a friendly Soccer game, they decided to end the rivalry and restore good relations.

There is an opinion that this decision was made because of Nike, which took a large share of the market, but no one knows whether this is true or not.

First joint venture logo

The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in Herzogenauerach was registered in mid-summer 1924. Adolf Dasler was a thoughtful and talented designer, and Rudy was an excellent salesperson. different characters and human qualities perfectly complemented the cooperation of the brothers.

The very next year, a significant event for the fate of the factory took place. Adi's passion for football was the basis for the creation of the world's first studded sports boot. Soon this novelty, just like slippers, became the main product of the company. Professional athletes, namely football players, quickly appreciated the convenience of the boots, and soon the brothers' company began to expand at an incredible pace. The staff of employees has expanded to 25, and the number of shoes produced has exceeded 100 pairs per day.

The popularity of "Adidas": significant dates

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

1924 - foundation of the family business of the Dassler brothers. The whole family works on the production of shoes.

1927 - home production develops 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 brothers' company participate in competitions in Amsterdam.

1931 Adolf Dassler launches shoes for tennis players.

1936 - the birth of a son.

1938 - opening of the second factory.

1948 - brothers quarrel, division of the family business.

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

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

1959 - son Adi Horst opens a company in France.

1962 - the appearance of a tracksuit with three stripes.

1978 - Adolf Dassler, founder of Adidas, dies.

After his death, the firm passed into the hands of his wife Katharina. When the widow died, their son Horst became the head of Adidas.

Founder of Adidas

The year 1948 became fatal: the paths of the brothers diverge, and by that time it had already become world wide. famous company"Dassler" ceases to exist. Each of them gets their own factory, and according to the agreement, none of them had the right to use the name Dassler in the name of their company. Thus, the company "Adidas" appeared, the founder of which was Adolf Dassler. The biography of the brothers from that moment was divided into "before" and "after". This marked the beginning of fierce competition between blood relatives lasting 60 years.

In the same year, the situation between the brothers further aggravated the creation and registration of the famous "three stripes" (a distinctive fact is that the Dassler family logo originally had 2 stripes, and Adi added one more.

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

Founder of sports brand Puma

The name came up with Rudolf after he and his brother quarreled to the nines. Of course, the Puma brand will not boast that after the collapse of its shoes many athletes preferred it, but still, some players of the German national football team took to the field in boots created by Rudolf's company.

The first victory happened only in 1952, when Joseph Barthel, shod in brand products, won the 1500 meters. After 2 years, there was another triumph: a world record for sprinting. Heinz Futterer, who installed it, was wearing Puma sneakers.

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

A real revolution in the sports world occurred when this brand released a children's collection of sneakers in 1990, where their size was controlled by the child'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 it 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 brand products, becomes the European football champion, and this further enhances the global status of the company.

The very next year, Herbert Heiner became the head of the company. The acquisition of the Reebok brand further enhances its importance, and Adidas becomes the second popular brand, losing the lead to Nike.

Today, the main activity of the company, as in the beginning of development, is aimed at the production of sports products and continuous improvement. At the football match held in South Africa, the whole planet watched the game of football players with which Adidas brand Adolf Dassler produced.

1. The reason for the quarrel between the brothers is still unknown. As they say, they took her to the grave.

2. Celebrities such as Marat Safin, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and many others won in shoes from the Adidas brand.

A large distribution of Adidas products has been recorded in Russia. It is worn by many celebrities, most of them have signed a contract with the company and receive a good amount for it.

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 for sports. From childhood he was active, even at the age of 75 he continued to play tennis and loved to swim in the pool. Until his last breath, Adolf Dassler was engaged in the affairs of his famous sports brand.

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

The brothers Rudolf and Adolf Dassler were born in the family of a shoemaker. Adolf was youngest child, and Rudolf is the middle one. Boys from childhood were passionate about sports, but the disputes and rivalry that arose between them in adolescence accompanied the brothers all their lives.

At a more mature age, the younger brother makes a decision that will change his whole life. He begins to manufacture sports shoes equipped with studs; his acquaintance blacksmith took up the supply of studs.

Later, Rudolf also joins the business. He didn't know much about shoe making, but he had the skills of a talented salesman. Their brilliant tandem quickly bears fruit. After the brothers officially open a company in 1824, called the Dassler Brothers, by 1928 at the next Olympic Games, which were held in Amsterdam, several athletes already choose shoes manufactured by the brothers for performances. In 1932, at the Los Angeles Games, sprinter Arthur Yonath won the bronze medal in boots from the Dassler brothers.

But the brothers achieved their greatest success by 1936, when at the summer games in Berlin, an athlete from America, Jesse Owens, took as many as four gold medals for running in several different distances and long jumps.

After this event, the Brothers firm gained worldwide fame and recognition.

Adolf Dassler and his training boots, 1960s-1970s (Wikimedia)

Rudolf Dassler, 1970-1980s

During the war period, both brothers joined the Nazi Party. Their Firm re-profiled into the production of military footwear. A little later, Rudolph is taken to the war, but citing a lime disease, he remains in the typewriting bureau. But some time later, the occupation authorities arrest him for collaborating with the Gestapo. During the interrogation, he learns that his brother became the main informer on him. He will never forgive him for this.

Rudolph, in turn, puts all the blame on his younger brother, saying that the idea of ​​​​producing military shoes for the Nazis belongs entirely to Adi.

In 1948, the father of the brothers, Christoph Dassler, died. He was the only person who connected the two brothers, and was a hindrance in their growing confrontation. Immediately after that, the company will split into two independent ones. Thus, two companies engaged in the production of sports shoes appear in a small town at once - Adidas and Ruda (this is how Puma was originally called). She received her final name a few months later, when Rudolph decides to refuse to mention his name in the designation of the company. He changes two letters in the name, and Adolf, in turn, adds a third stripe to the old logo of the Dassler Brothers company.

Rudolph (left) and Adolf (right), 1930s

The enmity of two brothers and two industries will spread to the entire small town, since half of the population of the town works for one brother, and the other is employed in the production of the second. The enmity is not limited to the territory of the town, the brothers begin to restore lost ties with the Olympic committees of different, including rival countries.

Surely every person has at least some thing from Adidas in their wardrobe, but, most likely, not everyone thought about who is its creator. The founders of this company are two brothers - Rudolf and Adolf Dassler.

Adolf, at home everyone called him Adi, was born in 1900 into a poor family in the city of Harzogenaurach. He was the 4th child. His mother worked in a laundry, and his father worked in a shoe factory. Most of all, Adolf communicated with his brother Rudolf, went in for sports together and constantly competed with each other.

In 1914, when Rudolph was taken into the army, Adolf began a fruitful study of his father's business. Football at that time was gaining immense popularity, and Adi enjoyed playing it.

Was after war time with the devastation in the country, and his parents lost their jobs. For two whole years they worked part-time to feed the children and survive. But still they decide to take a serious step and open their own business - the production of shoes. In the former laundry room, it was decided to open their own workshop, where they initially sewed sleeping slippers, then gymnastic slippers. But Adolf really wanted to produce shoes for athletes.

In 1924, Rudolf expressed a desire to work with his brother, and they named the company Gebrüder Dassler. Adolf was in charge of the production process, while Rudolf was in charge of sales. At that time, the company employed 14 people.

In 1925, Adolf began developing the first football boots that required studs to produce. Rudolf went to the local blacksmith and formed a partnership with him. This football shoe proved itself well, and the young company managed to expand its turnover. Already more than 100 pairs a day the company produced in 1926, and after a while they managed to rent an entire factory for their production.

The brand gained popularity after the brothers decided to develop shoes for the participants in the 1928 Olympics. All German athletes already wore Dassler shoes. Production increased every day, more than 1,000 pairs per day were already being made. It's time to expand and buy another factory for production.

Adidas - brand development

As soon as the war ended, the Americans forced Adolf to develop and produce sports equipment for the United States. During the war, the business suffered quite a lot, so we had to start almost from the very beginning.

As soon as Rudolph returned from the war, he quarreled with his brother. What caused the conflict is unknown, and opinions differ. In 1948, the brand broke up, the brothers split into two different companies. And so it happened that Adolf called his company Addas, which would later be known as Adidas, and Rudolf created Puma. There was calmness in the relations of the brothers, but the relations of the companies somehow did not work out. Employees constantly competed and even at a meeting did not greet each other.

In 1954, Adidas appeared in Switzerland at the World Cup. Toward the end of the 50s, Adolf launched the production of various accessories and bags, and later - tracksuits with three stripes. Later, balls appeared that were used only in important world championships.

Adolf became the author of the first revolutionary development in 1957. It was a sports shoe with an air cushion. After a while, production was opened in Norway and France. Advertising campaigns were constantly carried out, in leading role were the brightest athletes.

Robert Louis Dreyfus

In 1978, Adolf Dasler left the world, he was replaced by his wife Katharina. She ran the company for five years. But it seemed that with the death of Adolf and production gradually declined. Later, his daughters began to run the company, but they were not very good leaders, because they constantly quarreled among themselves.

In 1989, Adolf's daughters decided to sell 80% of the company to French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie. Tapi wanted to raise the company high, but nothing came of it. In 1993, he decided to sell Adidas to his friend Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Each time, sales grew, new developments appeared in the field of the shoe industry, and the company rose higher and higher every day.

In 2001, Louis left the company, but managed to prepare a replacement for himself. It was Herbert Heiner, who from the very early childhood was fond of football and knew everything about Adidas.

Since that moment, Herbert has made a significant contribution to production, developing new models of shoes, introducing Newest technologies. Now the company has taken a leading position and stood in the ranks of the first among such famous brands like Nike and Puma.

Rudolf Dassler(German Rudolf Dassler; March 26, 1898, Herzogenaurach - October 27, 1974, ibid.) - German entrepreneur. Founder of Puma sporting goods company, older brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler.

Biography

Born in the family of a shoemaker and a laundress, who by that time already had a son and a daughter (the fourth child, Adolf, was born in 1900). As a child, together with his brothers, he delivered clean linen to his mother's customers, and later entered the shoe factory where his father worked. In August 1914, together with his older brother Fritz, he was drafted into the army and sent to the front in Belgium, where he spent the entire war.

After demobilization, he graduated from police courses in Munich and joined the district administration. However, he soon got a job as a distributor of goods at a porcelain factory, and then at the Nuremberg leather trade enterprise. In 1923, his younger brother Adolf invited him to his shoe company, opened in 1920. Rudolph contributed a typewriter as an equity stake.

On July 1, 1924, Rudolf and Adolf officially opened the Gebrder Dassler shoe company, which became very successful. Adolf dealt with production issues, and Rudolf dealt with sales issues.

On May 6, 1928, Rudolf married eighteen-year-old Friedl Strasser. On September 15, 1929, their son Armin was born.

However, after the 1936 Summer Olympics (in which world record runner Jesse Owens performed in Dassler spikes), Rudolf and Adolf had disagreements - Rudolf was negative about Adolf's constant improvement of already commercially successful models, and Adolf was annoyed by too arrogant and Rudolf's noisy behavior. Also causing controversy was Political Views- Rudolph never criticized the Nazis, and Adolf dared to disobey their demands.

In July 1939, Rudolf and Friedl had a son, Gerd.

With the outbreak of war, relations between the brothers worsened even more, which was facilitated by the participation of their wives in skirmishes between them. In March 1943, as part of the "total mobilization", Rudolph was called to military service and sent to Glauchau, and in April he was seconded to the customs post in the city of Tushin, where, citing imaginary night blindness, he received a position in the typewriting bureau. In January 1945, he fled from the advancing Red Army back to Herzogenaurach. In April, he was arrested by the Gestapo for desertion, as he did not appear when summoned by the SD. While being transported to the Dachau concentration camp, he was released. American soldiers. But on July 25, he was arrested by the occupying authorities for collaborating with the Gestapo and sent to an American internment camp in Hammelburg. At the same time, the Americans informed him that he was arrested on a denunciation in which Rudolph suspected Adolf.

However, on July 31, 1946, Rudolf was released as not a threat to security. Shortly before this, the denazification procedure began against Adolf, and after being released from the camp, Rudolf was interrogated in this case. During interrogation, he stated that, on the initiative of Adolf, the production of military products was organized at the factory, and Adolf himself spoke to the workers with political speeches. As a result, the investigation recognized Adolf as “accused”, after which the brothers decided to divide the enterprise as soon as possible and in April 1948 parted completely. Their new firms were located on different banks of the river Aurach, which flows through Herzogenaurach. The result is a unique situation where the headquarters of the two largest manufacturers of sporting goods are located several hundred meters from each other.

At first, Rudolph registered his company under the name Ruda (the first syllables of the name “Rudolf Dassler”), but in October 1948 he changed it to Puma due to dissonance (in the film “Duel of the Brothers. Adidas History and Puma" in 2016, it is claimed that "Puma" is the nickname of Rudolph in his youth due to numerous love affairs).