The company was started in 1924 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler in Weimar, Germany, after his return from World War I. He made sport shoes in his mother’s laundry room which his elder brother, Rudolf, joined later in July 1924. They founded “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory” (Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik). For a while they were the only ones in Germany manufactures sports shoes.

Their development in sports shoes was changing the spiked running shoes from a previous heavy metal spikes to canvas and rubber. In 1936, US sprinter Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin using Dassler’s hand made spikes. The German teams in the 1936 Summer Olympic were even used their shoes as the official shoes.

After that, their shoes became known to the sportsmen community worldwide. They sold 200 thousand pairs of shoes annually before the World War II.

During the war the company manufactured their last sport shoes in 1943 and then forced to cease production when their resources was used to manufacture anti-tank weapons, Panzerschreck or Raketenpanzerbuchse 54.

The History of Yesterday website describes that the Dassler factory would continue producing military equipment for the Wehrmacht until the German lost the war and the allies captured their town. And that uncovers the brothers with their connection to Nazi party.

Both Rudolf and Adi were suspected to be part of this group of high level Nazis and were interrogated by the Americans at the end of the war. On July 31, 1946 Rudolf was released after the investigation of his Nazi background was unproven. Adolf followed on February 3, 1947 and was allowed to resume his work on the company.

In the following months after the war, Adi and Rudolf split up in 1947 due to Rudolf’s accusations during the Nazi trials and his efforts to kick out Adolf from the company. After disagreement and hostile relationship between both families, Rudolf then founded a new one called Ruda which later becoming Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler (Rudolf Dassler’s Puma shoe factory) or Puma while Adi forming another company under the name Adidas AG from Adi Dassler on August 18, 1949.