1923 After having watched a football match in the pouring rain, young shoemaker Albert Messmer develops one of the first football 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 symbolizes team spirit, progression and a drive to win. Partnered with the main bumblebee logo, the identity of the new hummel is now in place.
1968 hummel signs its first sponsorship deal with football 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 football’s nightmare, Emilio Butragueño. The deal sees the sale of hummel products hit the roof across Europe.
1992 The Danish national football 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 This year, we have 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 football 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. 6