Adidas – from a backyard shoe factory to the world’s leading company

Adidas is the world’s leading sportswear brand, with some of the most expensive shoes on the planet.

Adidas was founded by Adolf Dassler.

Outside of work, Adolf also enjoys sports.

In 1919, Germany experienced a terrible economic recession after World War I. Jobs were increasingly scarce.

This gave him the time and resources to create the first specialized sports shoes.

Adolf was also very creative in the production process.

Adolf Dassler at the brothers’ shoe factory.

In 1924, Adolf’s brother Rudolf joined him.

In 1926, the two had enough money to move the shoe factory to a new location.

His efforts and determination bore fruit.

He also established a relationship with the German athletics team, through coach Josef Waitzer.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf decided to sponsor top athletes.

A few years later, World War II broke out, disrupting business due to lack of raw materials and manpower.

In 1949, Rudolf took over half the company and employees and established his own brand called Ruda.

The years after the war were very difficult for Adidas, when the German economy fell into crisis again.

After stopping cooperation with his brother, Adolf also wanted his products to have a unique design, easy to recognize even underfoot.

As the German economy gradually recovered, Adofl and his wife Käthe drove Adidas to strong growth.

Adolf is described as a man dedicated to his work.

In 1986, the American band Run-DMC composed the song My Adidas to express their love for this brand’s products.

Adidas then actively associated with artists to promote the brand.

Adolf died in 1978. Käthe then continued to run the company with her son Horst until her death in 1984.

Currently, Adidas is one of the world’s leading sports apparel brands, next to Nike or Puma.