In the small town of Herzogenaurach, Germany, two brothers Adolf “Adi” Dassler and Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler changed the world of sports forever. In the 1920s, the brothers began making athletic shoes in their mother’s laundry room. Adolf was the quiet, technically minded craftsman, while Rudolf was the charismatic salesman. Together, they built the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (“Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”), crafting innovative footwear worn by athletes in the 1928 and 1936 Olympics including Jesse Owens, who famously won four gold medals wearing Dassler spikes.
