Adolf Dassler
Founder of adidas
Adolf 'Adi' Dassler (1900 to 1978) was the German shoemaker who founded adidas, today one of the world's largest sportswear companies. His practice of developing shoes together with athletes, and innovations such as screw-in football studs, helped define the modern sporting goods industry.
| Role | Founder of adidas |
|---|---|
| Born | 1900, Herzogenaurach, Germany |
| Died | 1978 |
| Founded | Gebrüder Dassler (1924), adidas (1949) |
| Known for | Screw-in football studs, three stripes |
Who is Adolf Dassler?
Adolf Dassler, known as Adi, was born in 1900 in Herzogenaurach in Bavaria and died there in 1978. He was a shoemaker by training who turned a small family workshop into adidas, a company whose name combines his nickname with the first syllable of his surname. He is remembered less as a fashion designer than as a product innovator whose functional sports shoes later became part of global street style.
Career
Dassler began making shoes after the First World War, initially in his mother's house. On 1 July 1924 he and his elder brother Rudolf registered Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. The company specialised in spiked running shoes and football boots, and its shoes were worn by medal winners at the Olympic Games of 1928, 1932 and 1936. At the 1936 Berlin Games, Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Dassler shoes, which brought the brothers international attention.
After the Second World War the relationship between the brothers broke down, and in 1948 the business was split. Rudolf founded the company that became Puma, while Adi registered his own firm in August 1949 as Adolf Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik, with 47 employees. In the same year he registered a shoe carrying the three stripes that became the brand's trademark.
- 1924: co-founds Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik with Rudolf Dassler
- 1949: registers adidas in Herzogenaurach
- 1954: West Germany wins the World Cup final wearing adidas boots with screw-in studs
- 1978: dies; his wife Käthe and son Horst continue to lead the company
Influence on the fashion business
Dassler's most famous innovation was the football boot with screw-in studs, which allowed players to adapt the length of the studs to pitch conditions. Its role in West Germany's 1954 World Cup victory over Hungary made adidas a household name. His method of gathering feedback from elite athletes and turning it into product improvements became a template for the performance sportswear industry. In 1967 the company moved beyond footwear with a tracksuit associated with Franz Beckenbauer, an early step towards the apparel business that now makes sportswear a central category in fashion retail.
The split with his brother also created one of the best-known rivalries in business history: two global sportswear companies founded by siblings in the same small Bavarian town, both still headquartered there.
Why it matters
Adidas grew from Dassler's workshop into a company that shapes both sport and fashion, from performance footwear to collaborations with designers and musicians. For today's fashion executives, his career is an early example of how product innovation, athlete endorsement and a simple, recognisable trademark can build a brand with lasting global reach.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Adolf Dassler?
Adolf 'Adi' Dassler was a German shoemaker from Herzogenaurach who founded adidas in 1949. Before that he ran the Gebrüder Dassler shoe factory with his brother Rudolf, who went on to found Puma.
How did adidas get its name?
The name combines Dassler's nickname 'Adi' with the first three letters of his surname. He registered the company as Adolf Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik in August 1949.