THE HUMMEL BRAND HISTORY

The bumblebee company has now been airborne for over 90 colourful years. Let's take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and relive some highlights of the exciting hummel® history.

 

1923

After having watched a soccer match in the pouring rain young shoemaker Albert Messmer develops one of the first soccer cleats the world has ever seen. In the aftermath he founds the company Messmer & Co. with his brother Michael Ludwig Messmer in the Hamburg suburb of Eppendorf.

 

1956

The visionary Bernhard Weckenbrock takes over the company. He believes that the product needs to have a unique personality, which athletes can identify with. From this philosophy emerges the classic chevron logo, which symbolises team spirit, progression and a drive to win it. 
Partnered with the main bumblebee logo, the identity of the new hummel® is now in place.

 

1968

hummel® signs its first sponsorship deal with soccer club, Duisburg, from the 2nd German Bundesliga.

 

1969

  

hummel® launches its first collection of sportswear. Promotional sponsorships help sales, and the company enjoys massive success. Later that year, the hummel® logo (the bumblebee) is created – in a somewhat rounder version.

 

1988 

hummel® signs a sponsorship deal with mighty Real Madrid – and with the club’s biggest star, Danish soccer’s nightmare, Emilio Butragueño. The deal sees the sale of hummel® products hit the roof across Europe.

 

1992

The Danish national soccer team wins the European Championship – wearing hummel®. Since Denmark has not qualified regularly and is admitted only 10 days before the beginning of the tournament at expense of former Yugoslavia, problems arise concerning delivery of playing kits to the team. In accordance with Denmark’s unexpected success, national team jerseys are ripped off the shelves in sports stores across the country. 

 

1999

With THORNICO as the new owner, Christian Stadil makes his entrance at hummel®. He launches a collection of reintroduced, original sport styles into the fashion market. This establishes hummel® as a trendsetting 
sports apparel brand.

 

2012

hummel® strengthens in the German market by signing a sponsorship deal with Karlsruher SC and also introducing an off-field deal with FC St. Pauli which equips the club with boots, bags, underwear, goalkeeper gloves and fashion sneakers.

 

2013

The year of our 90th anniversary was both busy and exciting. We published a brand book and launched a range of anniversary products. Just the right way to celebrate an important milestone in hummel’s history.

 

2014

 

In 2014 we both expanded our collaboration with FC St Pauli and signed Füchse Berlin; an exciting new development that both cements hummel® as a leading handball brand and strengthens our presence on the soccer field. Apart from their colourful profile, FC St Pauli is also engaged in several projects with the aim to change the world through sport; a focus completely in sync with hummel’s vision