History of Nike
Nike Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, is the largest and most successful brand of shoe, sport equipment and apparel. It controls more than 60 per cent of the market and has become a major pop culture icon. One might say that the Greek goddess of victory, after which Nike is named, is actually the goddess of shoes, Nike may be one of the youngest of the major brands, but it is the most dominant brand in the world.
Between 1963 and 1964, University of Portland track coach Bill Bowerman and a mid-distance runner, Phil Knight, joined forces to import and provide low-cost and high-tech running shoes from Japan in order to provide alternative to the German-dominated athletic shoe market.
Operating under the name Blue Ribbon Sport (BRS), Bowerman and knight began to sell the Japanese Onitsuka Tiger (now known as Asics) running shoes. BRS officially incorporated in 1967 and ran its business under this name until the 1970s, when Bowerman wanted to improve on the design of the Onitsuka Tiger shoe, and when Knight aspired to do more than simply importing and reselling running shoes.
Inspiration struck Bill Bowerman over breakfast one morning as he borrowed the family waffle iron and poured rubber into it- creating the prototype for Nike Waffle Outsole which revolution the design of running shoes.
This invention led Bowerman and Knight to begin designing other shoes and eventually acquiring the company 's new name, Nike. Nike, Inc. was born when Jeff Johnson , a runner, anthropology graduate and key player to Nike's setup, dreamt of Greek goddess of victory, Nike.
Hence on, Nike has produced a succession of shoes, many based on the waffle outside, of which some of the most famous ones are the waffle Racer One, Air Max 93,Air Max 95 and Air Max 97.
KEY MILESTONES
1971
Nike's swoosh design logo is created by Portland State University graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson. Knight requests Davison to design a logo, which he need to put on the side of his company's shoes. Davidson is paid US$35 to create the Swoosh trademark. She also works for Nike for a few years until they need a full advertising agency.
1979
Nike's Air technology is patented by formed aerospace engineer Frank Rudy. This very first use of gas-filled plastic membranes inserted into the sole of running shoes contributes to a new form on innovation in footwear cushioning. The Tailwind running shoe is introduced as the first running shoe to use this Nike Air cushioning system.
1982
The Air Force One basketball shoe becomes the first Nike court shoe to make use of the Air technology.
1983
Twelve years after the swoosh logo was trademarked, Carolyn Davidson receives a gold Swoosh ring with an embedded diamond at a luncheon, along with a certificate and an undisclosed amount of Nike stock, in recognition of her swoosh logo design.
1984
Nike sign Michael Jordan to an endorsement contact and release the first model of his signature shoe, the Air Jordan. The NBA's initial ban on this new shoe draws a tremendous amount of publicity. The introduction of the Air Jordan shoe is key to Nike's future success.
1987
The Nike Air Max shoe is introduced, which uses a much larger air cushioning unit that is visible at the side of the mid-sole for the first time. This is the first of many generations of Air Max-branded technologies.
1988
Nike introduces its influential tagline "Just Do It".
2000
Nike bring forward another breakthrough in shoe-cushioning technology- Nike Shox.
2003
Nike make a successful bid to acquire rival company Converse, Inc, for US$ 305 million.
For the first time in the company's history, Nike's international sales exceed US sales, marking Nike's growth into a truly global company.
(NIKE LOGO)
(NIKE SHOES)
History of Adidas
Since Adidas started producing sports shoes in the 1920s, it has assisted countless athletes in their exceptional achievement, and made quite a number of spectacular contributions to the sporting world.
It all began in the 1920s, in German village called Herzogenaurach, when Adi Dassler, a higher skilled shoe- maker and a passionate athlete, saw the need for performance athletic shoes and was determined to fulfill his vision to "provide every athlete with the best possible footwear".
So he began making his first football and running shoes using the few material available after world war l. By the 1930s, Adidas was already making 30 different shoes for 11 sports, which won the favour of many top athletes who won their gold medals wearing Adidas.
Adidas continued to gain momentum over the years but the breakthrough was when the German team won the FIFA World Cup in 1954 wearing Adidas boots with screw-in studs that helped them to play on the west football ground.
In the 1998 World Cup in France, the host team fought its way to becoming the new world champion, also wearing Adidas football shoes with superior performance.
Adi Dassler was the first to use sport promotion in order to make the public aware of his innovation. This was done by using well-known athletes to advertise his products.
Over the past few decades, Adidas has had the following top athletes from various fields to endorse its products: basketball star like Antoine Walker and Kobe Bryant; track and field champions like Arthur Jonath in the 1930s and present-day Donovan Bailey; tennis stars like Steffi Graf, Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis; football stars like Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham; baseball star team the New York Yankees; and boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Today, Adidas still aims for perfection in shoe-making by keeping in close contact with the world's top athletes and coaches to develop products that best fit human body through repeated experiments and trials. This garnered Adidas the reputation of providing high quality sportswear to advance athletic performance for all sporting fields, including modern ones such as golf, street ball, skateboarding and extreme sports.
Adidas has gone through several structural changes in the few decades, but it has continued to make many breakthroughs in terms of design and function. the signature Three Stripes has also made its way into the fashion scene, shaping the new fashion style together with the new Generation Y, playing the leading role in providing the best-quality diversified sportswear for the general consumer.
KEY MILESTONES
1920
Adolph " Adi Dassler", German athlete and shoe-maker, makes his first sports shoe with a sewing machine.
1925
Adi Dassler develops the first shoes for football and track and field, and shoes with studs and spikes.
1928
Athletes at the Olympic Games wear Dassler's shoes. He optimises the performance of each shoe by working closely with the athletes.
1931
Adi Dassler makes his first tennis shoes.
1936
Jasse Owens sets new winning record wearing Dassler's shoes at the Berlin Olympic Games.
1946
Adi Dassler makes the first shoe out of canvas and rubber.
1948
Adi Dassler names his product "Adidas" after his first syllables of his nickname and last name.
1949
The first shoes with the Three Stripes are made. The Three Stripes are registered as a trademark.
1954
The German football team wears Adidas shoes with screw-in studs to reduce the possibility of slipping. They win their first World Cup.
1962
Adidas shoes dominate the FIFA World Cup In Chile.
1964
Adidas present the lightest track shoes ever made- the Tokio 54
1971
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier wear a boxing boot for their Fight of the Century.
1972
The Adidas is introduced, symbolising the "fastest, Strongest, highest" shoe, and is still one of the classic in the Adidas range today.
1978
Adi Dassler dies at age of 78, His son , Horst Dassler, carries the Adidas torch.
1986
The Adidas Azteca, the world's first synthetic World Cup match ball, is introduced.
Hip-Hop band Run-DMC release a song entitled "My Adidas" and starts the Adidas craze in street wear.
1987
Horst Dassler dies at the age of 51.
1988
Adidas launches the revolutionary Torsion sole system.
1994
Adidas Predator, the revolutionary football shoe, is introduced at the Word Cup in the USA.
1998
Adidas is the first sporting goods company to named Official Sponsor of the World Cup in France.
2004
The ' Impossible is Nothing: global brand campaign for Adidas is launched, together with Predator Pulse, the best football boot ever made.
The Adidas by Stella McCartney sports performance collection for women is launched.
2005
Adidas acquires rival Reebook international for US$3.8 billion to compete with Nike.
(ADIDAS LOGO)
(ADIDAS SHOES)
History of converse
The history of Converse spans the history of20th century America and the evolution of basketball. But as one of the earliest sneakers in the world of sport that has captured the cultural imagination of a nation, the Converse shoe has become more than just a pair of sneakers, but also a symbol of nostalgia, a fashion icon for different generation of youth throughout the decades.
The first sneakers were only in the form of rubber-soled footwear often knows as "gym shoes" worn for all type of sport, then Marquis M. Converse revolutionised the basketball industry when it designed and produced the world's first performance basketball shoes, the converse All Star, in 1915.
In 1918, Charles H."Chuck" Taylor, a basketball player for the Akron Firestones, acquired his first pair of All Star basketball shoes. Backed by Converse, he introduced the game of basketball to Americans across the country, while wearing his Converse All Star. Chuck Taylor officially joined Converse in 1921 as America's first sportsperson to endorse a sporting goods brand, setting a model for future sneaker idols.
After publishing a retrospective on the first 60 years of basketball and teaching his first basketball clinic at North Carolina State University, his signature was added to the All Star patch in 1923. This market a defining moment in the history of Converse shoes as it gave birth to what would be a timeless American icon- the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star- which became synonymous with the game of basketball for many years to come.
But the Converse was also the first to transcend the sporting world into the realm of popular culture, especially when Hollywood stars started wearing them together with jeans. The Chuck, Cons or Connies began to take on a new identity of a rebellious youth in the 1950s. This legacy continues, even after Nike, Adidas and other major sneakers brands reigned in the market- the Chucks have become the signature wear in street culture, amongst the punk rockers and Hollywood celebrities.
KEY MILESTONES
1908
Marquis M. Converse stats the Converse Rubber shoe Company.
1915
Converse produces canvas tennis shoes.
1917
The world's first Converse All Star sneaker debuts.
1918
All-American high school player Check Taylor joins the professional Basketball League, puts on the Converse All Star and highly recommends it to all college and high school basketball players.
1921
Chuck Taylor joins Converse to be its sales representative and improve the All Star shoe's traction and ankle support.
1923
Converse adds Chuck Taylor's signature to the All Star patch, giving birth to what would become an American icon, while All Star becomes synonymous with basketball.
1935
World champion badminton player Jack Purcell designs an innovative and durable performance court shoe with Converse, featuring the "smile" on its toe, which changes the game and becomes a fashion staple of early Hollywood and boarding school bad boys.
1936
Basketball is played for the first time as an official Olympic sport. The US team wins the gold medal wearing Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers.
1962
Converse develops the low-cut version of the All Star, called an "oxford", which soon becomes the shoe of choice for professional players, starting a new and relaxed West Coast lifestyle statement that quickly spreads eastward.
1974
Converse debuts the "One Star", a low-cut performance shoe for basketball, which is later adopted by surfers and skaters as a retro and alternative-lifestyle look.
1984
Converse is the Official Sponsor is the official Sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games. The Us men's basketball team wins gold while wearing Converse.
1986
Converse unveils The Weapon, which is an instant hit. The "choose Your Weapon" advertising campaign features basketball stars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson endorsing the Converse Weapon.
1991
Converse becomes the NBA- designated shoe.
1992
Converse introduces state-of-the-art React custom-fit technology, increasing basketball shoes' cushioning, stability and support.
1996
Over 700 million pairs of Converse All Star are sold around the world.
2003
Nike announces its acquisition of converse, making it a brand under Nike.
Converse unveils Converse Re-Issue, a collection of performance footwear drawn from the innovation manufacturer's 20th century archive, presented in their original form and resurrected with new colour and added comfort.
(CONVERSE LOGO)
(CONVERSE ALL STAR)
History of Puma
Established in 1948 in Germany, Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, the brother of Adi Dassler, founder of Adidas. Due to disagreements in business operations, Rudolf split and apparel company to form his own sport and apparel company called Puma to compete with him.
Through Puma's business has grown tremendously from a small manufacturing plant, it was ridden with heavy financial debt in the 1990s. But Puma managed to revive its branding image and boost it sales through the appointment of Jachen Zeitz as the new CEO in 1993. Zeitz's series of effective measures to streamline production and the use of innovative design helped Puma to achieve a tripling of sales revenue from 1993 to 2001.
Today, Puma has developed into a global booming enterprise with diverse product categories, ranging from sport apparel like balls and gloves, to fashion accessories like backpacks and hand bangs, as well as its highly sought-after collection of sneakers.
Puma's strategy of restoring the premium value to its product was through it cooperation with trend-setting designers. In 1990, seven outstanding designers cooperated with Puma, and today the total is 50 designers, including Neil Barrett, who was a senior men's appeal designer for Gucci and Prada (he is also Puma's innovation director), as well as Marc Jacobs, innovation design director for Louis Vuitton.
The use of celebrity effect is indispensable in promoting Puma's product. The celebrities who helped to endorse and pump up the brand in the history of Puma include Pele and his Brazilian teammates, who became World Cup winners wearing Puma boots in 1962; Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon wearing Puma sneakers and using a Puma racket in 1986 while wearing the Puma King; women's tennis champion Serena Williams who played in Puma apparel; the widely-admired Italian national football players who were provided made-to-measure Puma polo shirts; and Madonna, who wore Puma during her world-tour performances.
Today, Puma stands for what is cool, innovative, rebellious and trendy, a vision that Jochen Zeitz has had for Puma. His strategy of utilising the best design as a competitive edge has proved that a well-established brand needs to keep abreast of existing trends and create a whole new fashion statement in order to appeal to the changing market.
Puma's growth over the past decade has caused an almost irreversible trend of cutting-edge design in sneakers and sporting goods.
KEY MILESTONE
1948
Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler is founder.
Puma's first football shoe, the Puma Atom, is introduced.
In the first football match after world War ll, several members of the West German national football team wear Puma boots, including Herbert Burdenski, who scores West Germany's first post-war goal.
1949
Rudolf Dassler has the idea of football boots with removable studs and begin working on their development and production.
1952
Josef Barthel of Luxembourg wins the Olympic Gold in Helsinki wearing Puma.
Puma Super Atom begin production and is worn for the first time by top players of the German football clubs who advance into the German national team due to their excellent field performance. They include Horst Eckel and Werner Liebrich.
1962
At the world Cup in Chile, Pele becomes a World Cup winner for the second time wearing Puma boots.
1968
Four Puma track and field athletes bring home gold medals at the Olympic Games in Mexico: Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, Willie Davenport and Bob Seagren.
Wearing Puma track shoes, Jim Hines is the first man to complete the 100-metre sprint in less than ten seconds.
Puma is the first manufacturer to offer sports shoes with Velcro fasteners.
1969
Quarterback for the New York Jets Joe Namath goes to Super Bowl lll wearing Puma shoes.
1970
Pele wins his third World Cup title by beating Italy in the Mexico finals wearing the Puma King. He also awarded Player of the Tournament.
1976
Puma introduced its SPA technology.
1982
Armin A.Dassler invents the Puma Duoflex sole.
1989
Puma launches the Trinomic sport shoe system.
1990
German midfielder and Puma athlete Lothar Matthaus, captain of the German national team wins the World Cup title and is voted European Football of the Year and World Sportsman of the Year.
1996
Puma presents its Puma Cell technology- the first foam-free mid-sole.
1998
Puma is the first sports brand to merge sport and fashion by cooperating with fashion designer Jil Sander. Both parties also jointly launch a footwear collection.
1999
Puma basketball star Vince Carter is named NBA Rookie of the Year.
2000
Christy Turlington and Puma jointly launch the Nuala yoga-inspired collection which instantly attracts high-end retailers, bringing Puma to the forefront of women's active wear.
2001
Puma launches an international cooperative line of footwear by Japanese designer Yasuhiro Mihara, which blends the look of sports and fashion.
2002
Puma and Serena Williams unveil the 2002 Serena Williams Tennis Collection debuting exciting new outfits consisting of apparel and tennis shoes in chic fashion-driven colour.
2004
Puma announces a collaborative partnership with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck. The revolutionary footwear collection by two parties is launched.
Puma becomes the official supplier of racing shoes F1 champion Michael Schumacher.
2006
In march, Puma launches its new Golf collection that offers performance footwear, apparel and accessories and select lifestyle pieces for men and women that enhance game and style.
(PUMA LOGO)
(PUMA SHOE FOR F1)
History of Reebok.
Few would have the impression that the modern-day Reebok actually has roots that go even father back than Adidas.
Founded in 1895 in Bolton, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom by Joseph William Foster, Reebok's ancestor company was known as J.W. Foster made some of the first known running shoes with spikes, The family-owned business proudly made the running shoes worn in the 1924 Summer Olympics by the athletes Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire.
In 1958, two of Foster's grandsons, Jeffrey and Joseph, left the family business and started a rival company that came to be known as "Reebok", named after a particular African gazelle, as they wanted to depict speed, style and grace.
In 1979, Paul Fireman, a partner in an outdoor sporting goods distributorship, spotted Reebok shoes at the annual sporting goods super show in Atlanta, Georgia. He negotiated a deal to license and distribute the Reebok brand in North America. Reebok USA was thus born and immediately introduced three running shoes in the country that year. At US$60, they were the most expensive running shoes on the market then. By 1981, Reebok USA had exceeded US$1.5 million in sales.
Reebok sales further soared when Reebok created the first athletic shoe designed especially for women and for a popular new exercise called aerobic dance. The shoe was called the freestyle, and with it Reebok set three major trends that transformed the athletic footwear industry: the aerobic exercise movement, the influx of women into sports and the acceptance of well-designed athletic footwear by adults for street and casual wear. The Freestyle is now classic and is Reebok best-selling shoe of all time.
Two other breakthroughs, in the form of the Pump technology and Step Reebok , brought about another surge, helping Reebok to grab the majority of the market share in the early 1980s.
But sales declined throughout the 1990s. Reebok stated looking for a way regain market share. After making efforts that failed to produce result, Reebok began its transition from being identified mainly with fitness and exercise to one equally involved in sport. It created a host of new footwear and apparel product for football, basketball, soccer, track, and field and other sports. Most importantly, it made a strategic commitment to align its brand to the world's most talented athletes, team and sports federations to increase brand awareness.
In August 2005,Adidas announced that it would acquire Reebok for US$6 billion. This partnership, along with new strategies such as the launching of Rbk- a collection of street-inspired footwear and apparel designed for the youth-and a global marketing campaign called the "Sound and Rhythm of sport", Reebok is sure to remain a major sporting brand.
KEY MILESTONES
1895
Founder of Reebok, Joseph Foster, an English fan of sprinting makes a pair of running shoes with spikes named the "Foster running shoes".
1900
Foster further improves his techniques and starts his own business. The Foster shoes are widely accepted.
1904
Alfred Shrubb breaks three word record wearing Foster running shoes in the 1904 race in Glasgow, making it a favourite of Olympic and professional athletes everywhere.
1933
Joseph Foster dies and his career is handed over to his two sons, James and John Foster.
1958
Foster's grandsons branch out to form a new company called Reebok.
1979
At an international sneaker trade show, Paul Fireman negotiates a deal to license and distribute the Reebok brand in North America.
1982
Reebok launches its first athletic shoe for women for use in aerobic dance, with genuine leather and fashionable colour.
1989
Reebok introduces The Pump to the basketball world. It is designed to take on the Nike Air and debuts with a sticker price of US$170, nearby double the price of other basketball shoes. But it is a hit and over 20 million pairs worldwide over a four-year period.
1996
Reebok produces the best-selling basketball shoes "The Answer"- designed for NBA superstar Allen Iverson.
2001
Reebok makes a huge commitment to Allen Iverson by signing him to a life-long contract, which guarantees that he sports the brand until his days in the NBA are over.
2003
Jay-Z(Shawn Carter) becomes the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok in the form of S. Carter collection by Rbk. It become the fastest-selling shoe in the company's history.
2005
Adidas- Salomon combines with Reebok to create US$9 billion footprint in the global athletic footwear, apparel and hardware markets.
Reebok launches its largest global-integrated marketing and advertising campaign " I Am What I Am", featuring top athletes and entertainers including Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Jay-Z and Lucy Liu to celebrate individuality and authenticity.
2006
Reebok partners with screen star Scarlett Johansson to create red-hot fashion collection , "Scarlett "Hearts" Rbk".
(REEBOK LOGO)
(REEBOK BASKETBALL SHOE)
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