08/12/2024
Adidas and Puma were created by two brothers, Adolf "Adi" Dassler and his younger brother Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler, who fell out and became lifelong rivals. In 1924, the brothers started a company called Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, or "Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory," where they worked together to make shoes for German athletes. But after World War II, their relationship broke down, and they both testified against each other in de-Nazification trials. In 1948, the brothers went their separate ways, each starting a new company—Adidas and Puma. This caused a strong rivalry between the two brands, which even split their hometown, with people working for each company growing hostile toward one another. Despite the conflict, their feud changed the world of sports shoes, and the people in their town are thankful for it, saying, "Without the fight, we wouldn't have these two global brands."