The Story Behind Adidas & Puma: Hatred Brought to the Grave.

Puma and Adidas are among the well-known international brands of sportswear - footwear to be more precise. While not particularly powerful as compared to Nike, they have had their fair share of  success. Here are a few facts about these two brands which may tickle your fancy: 1) Both were deadly rivals; 2) Both were founded by Germans; 3) Both corporations' headquarters are located in the same district of Germany; 4) Both were buried in the same cemetery - wait. What? You're probably thinking "What are the odds?". The answer to that is simple. Because both founders were, well, brothers. Most would know about the rivalry between the dominating Nike and Adidas, but what most would not know is the rivalry between Puma and Adidas, whose feud of almost 60 years has been settled only in recent years.

Photo credits: www.brandemia.org

In 1924, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler ventured into the footwear industry. At the time, Adolf had already founded his own shoe factory and Rudolf had only just returned from fighting in World War I. Their new business Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik which meant the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, was up and running out of their mother's small laundry room in the quiet town of Herzogenaurach. Adolf (Adi) was responsible for crafting and making the shoes, while Rudolf (Rudi) was in charge of sales. Come 1936, Berlin was host for the Summer Olympics. Rudolf drove to Berlin and persuaded African-American track athlete Jesse Owen to wear their shoes as he competed. Much to Hitler's displeasure, the track star won four gold medals and shot the shoes to international stardom. Their business boomed and there was no looking back.

But their happiness was short-lived. It was known that both brothers were members of the Nazi Party but Rudolf was a bit more closer to the party. This in turn may have caused misunderstandings between the two and contributed to their growing rift. According to the elderly townspeople of Herzogenaurach, both brothers' wives despised each other with reasons unknown. Adi and Rudolf's strained relationship eventually took it's toll when the Allies were in the midst of bombing Herzogenaurach. While Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter which Rudolf and his wife were already in, Rudolf exclaimed, "There come those bastards again!" apparently referring to the Allied forces. However, Adi thought otherwise and thought he was referring to Adi and his family.

Photo credits: www.ftw.rs

The Dassler brothers separated in 1948 and Rudolf started his own company on the other side of the riverbank. Adi named his new company to Adidas, a combination of his nickname and last name. Rudolf named his Ruda, also a combination of his first and last name. It didn't work out though and he eventually changed the name to a more athletic Puma. When the brothers split, so did their little town of Herzogenaurach, with most of the residents working for either company. Things became really heated up among the town folk, to the point whereby "Puma" people were not allowed to marry "Adidas" people and vice versa. Eventually, Herzogenaurach became known as "the town of bent necks" - the townspeople would look at your shoes before deciding if they should talk to you.

As the years went by, their bitterness towards each other fueled their drive to exceed the other in every way. Both companies spent fortunes outbidding each other for celebrity endorsements. Famous faces of Adidas would be Lionel Messi and Chelsea F.C. whereas Puma is better known for sponsoring Bundesliga's Borussia Dortmund. When Boris Becker (an aspiring tennis player back then) was turned down by Adi, Rudolf signed him up - just to spite his brother. Because the brothers were so focused on being better than the other, they overlooked American corporation Nike, which would eventually dominate the athletic footwear industry and leave the brothers' corporations far behind. Well over 60 years later, in September 2009 and when both brothers have already passed on, both companies settled their six-decade long vendetta through a game of football (or as the Americans call it, soccer).

Despite the fact that both brothers were buried in the same cemetery in Herzogenaurach, they were placed as far away as possible from each other. Maybe the bitterness and hatred between the two has not really ended after all.

In case you don't fancy reading or prefer a summary of it all, here is a short video about the two brothers by Unisports.

Well all that writing has left me with the urge to check out what Puma and Adidas has to offer . I know Zalora offers easy access and viewing for both brands. But before you start shopping, take a look at our Zalora promo codes because we have got loads of discounts and exclusive codes just for you so don't waste this opportunity to save as much as possible! Looks like it's time for me to get my sportswear shopping done!

By Andrew Tai
April 10, 2015 | Seasonal