Puma

 

Rudolph Dassler, the founder of Puma, began his career in a duo with his brother, Adolph. As sons of a cobbler, the brothers had a natural interest in shoes, and their designs began to lean towards a shoe modified especially for sports use. The Dassler Brothers Ltd was founded in 1924, and within this collaboration, the brothers designed the shoe purely intended to be worn for sports, voicing the clear sentiment, ‘You cannot play sports wearing shoes that

you would walk around with’. After much success together, a quarrel errupted and the duality suddenly became a dual. The brothers eventually split, and in 1948 Rudolph Dassler founded Puma on one side of the river Aurach, while his brother on the other side, Adolf (Adi) founded Adidas.

 

Originally Rudolph was going to call the company 'Ruda' but loving the athletic look of the leaping cat, he settled on Puma, and the logo appeared in it's first form. The 'form strip' design we know today on the side of Puma trainers was originally introduced in 1958 to strengthen and reinforce the durability of the shoes during sports. It is still a distinctive brand feature today, appreciated now as more of an aesthetic design feature along the side of the shoe, rather than than the practical reinforcement it was initially designed for. It still works to add

a thicker, more supportive structure around the foot, which is why the trainers are so durable with the

abitlity to perform so well during sports.

 

Puma has been thrust further in to the limelight over the years by various sporting heroes, including football

superstars Pele of Brazil, Johan Cruyff of Holland and Diego Maradona of Argentina. Pele actually designed a pair of trainers to go with his endorsement from Puma, and before every game in the 1970 World Cup, he perfomed a ritualistic routine of tying his shoelaces. This would ensure that every camera around him would record the moment, drawing attention to the all-important shoes, for the world to see.  

Another 'Puma moment' described by many as being of 'enormous cultural significance', was at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, when American Athletes Tommy Smith and Jim Hines were giving black-power salutes whilst receiving their medals on the podium. Their Puma Sneakers are symbolically left in their place on the podium after they leave, and this moment has been forever bonded with this famous declaration.

 

To this day, the nature of the quarrel between the two brothers is a closely guarded secret, but the family rivalry still lives on with a passion. It has been noted that Frank Dassler, the grandson of Rudolph, stunned family members as he took the unspeakable step and crossed the river to move into a new home on the Adidas territory. He acknowledges, 'I broke the rules...I would hear stories of...the families refusing to use the same butcher'.

This family rivalry is still ongoing today and with the passionate commercial rivalry to match it. But both brands are much loved by the rest of the world... 

 

And with the new CEO Jochen Zeitz, the brand has a new injection of vitality and elegance, moving out from

specialising in only sportswear, into a lifestyle and fashion brand. Take a look at some of the cool products we have here for you...

 

The Cat is Back ...