PUMA – The brand needs no introduction when we talk about sports clothing and accessories. Athletes have won golds with it and it has undoubtedly went on to prove its dominance in the industry. But how did it all of it begin? What gave rise to The ‘Cat’?
It was in 1924, two brothers decided and started their own company called Dassler Brothers Shoe factory. The company which received a name after being endorsed by athletes in the 1936 Olympics. The athletes wore spike shoes by the company and even won Gold!
However, a few years down the line, the two brothers, Rudolf and Adolf, decided to part ways. The divided the assets of the company equally and moved ahead. Then, in 1948, Rudolf Dassler founded a company, PUMA. A company which is today endorsed by stars like Selena Gomez and is a common name in the list of top Brands in the shoe industry.
The Beginning..
It launched its first football boot – The Atom and then in 1952 it came up with The Super Atom, the first football boot with screw studs. Later, their enhanced version ‘Brasil’ found a name when the Brazilian team won the 1958 World Cup wearing the same in Sweden.
The High Jump..
Later, in the 1960s, the Brand kept taking steps forward. Athletes like Pelé and Eusebio wore the brand and kept winning events. In the same decade, in 1967, their jumping cat logo was introduced. Then during the 1968 Olympics black power salute, the brand was in focus when it sponsored African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos who won medals while in Puma Suedes.
Jump to 1979, the jumping cat logo was added to the corner of the word PUMA. Till date, that’s how the logo is, used on all merchandise.
The Current Flow..
Puma, headquartered in Germany, today covers both female and male sports market segments and is the primary producer for Formula One clothing. Moreover, it employees a whopping 13000 employees and is also listed in the Frankfurt Stock exchange. Also, various famous names like Rihanna and Jay Z have been associated with PUMA. It had also signed a merchandising partnership with Arsenal football club in 2014, the biggest till date.
This just proves, every success story has a journey behind it. Always.
