More than a century of dedicated love of running, hard work and relentless improvement for the goal: to inspire athletes to new victories every day! Saucony: What is the brand and what is its success story? Let's take a look from the beginning.
The three boulders of SAUCONY CREEK
Not at all suitable for running, heavy leather shoes were a big obstacle in the way of athletes in the 1890s and 1900s. To compete in marathons, athletes would nail their own shoes for better traction, and sometimes they even ran barefoot! The Saucony brand, whose history began then, is one of the oldest American footwear brands. In 1898 in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, four young businessmen built a small factory on the banks of Saucony Creek, which flows through town, and named their company after that body of water. "Where two rivers run together" - that's what the brand name means in the language of local Indians. As a symbol of Saucony, the brand chose a schematic image of boulders, which circle the stream of the river. Nowadays they symbolize three main reference points of the company's activity: high productivity, support of good health of runners all over the world and creation of a strong sports community.
During 1898-1908, the company made 800 pairs of quality and comfortable shoes for running fans. It was a great start to Saucony's history.
Successful merger
Meanwhile, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a resourceful shoemaker named Abraham Hyde was making slippers out of old rugs. In 1910, the man opened a store to sell his products, and in time he focused on sporting goods: roller skates, baseball shoes, and bowling shoes. During World War II, Hyde's company gained fame as a leading manufacturer of footwear for soldiers. After the end of hostilities the company was even awarded by the U.S. Army and Navy for the high quality of products. And in the 1960's received a contract to manufacture shoes for NASA, and the astronauts conquered the outer space in shoes from Hyde.
At that time brand Saucony managed to make a real revolution in the world of athletic shoes, having released spiked running shoes 7446 spike. The development was immediately appreciated by athletes: finally they could forget about the independent "studding" of shoes with nails. In 1968, the histories of the two companies merged: Hyde set out to expand sneaker production and bought Saucony.
Conquering Olympus
In 1972, American athlete Frank Shorter won the Olympic Games in Saucony sneakers. This began the mass popularization of the brand's sneakers, which for several years appeared in the top ten according to Runner's World magazine. Soon after, the demand for Saucony shoes increased 20-fold. The hit of sales in 1981 became the model Saucony Trainer 80, the weight of which was significantly reduced by removing the traditional layer of thick cardboard and sewing the top to the midsole. This technology, thanks to which sneakers have become much lighter and more comfortable, soon began to be used by other manufacturers. And the following year the world saw another iconic model - Saucony Jazz, which to this day remains extremely popular. Now she, by the way, celebrates her 40th anniversary!
If you are looking for a new pair of sneakers, sportswear stores in Gulliver Mall are the perfect place to shop. Here you'll find a wide range of models from iconic manufacturers. In particular, in the Arena store on the third floor of the shopping center the legendary "Saucony" (Kiev) is presented among the brands.
New triumphs
2:00, 8 minutes and 59 seconds was the record set by New Zealand athlete Rod Dixon at the New York Marathon in 1983. His mascot at the time was a pair of Saucony sneakers. Inspired by the athlete's brilliant victory, the brand signed a contract with him. In cooperation with Dixon, the company's designers developed a new model: the DNX Trainer, which was an incredible success with running fans.
Then came the Saucony Originals line, and a little later, on the wave of popularity of sneaker culture, several joint projects with different designers, brands and sneaker boutiques were realized.
Nowadays the brand also successfully implements collaborations and creates unique models, tirelessly improving technologies and fully justifying its motto: Born to run. The company's goal is to support the indestructible spirit of athletes around the world.
Since April 2018, Saucony has partnered with donut maker Dunkin' Donuts. On the eve of the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon, Saucony X Dunkin' Kinvara 9 strawberry doughnut sneakers with mouthwatering prints were created and sold in doughnut boxes.
Keep in mind that today's athletic shoes are not just for track and field athletes, but also for street style enthusiasts. Today's fashion trends dictate that we should be comfortable and comfortable in our daily routines. Therefore, street fashion urges us to include in our street style bows sportswear and comfortable shoes, which is worth not forgetting while shopping.
