hummel turns 100 years: "We want to be among the top 10 sports brands in the world"

On a rainy day in 1923, German Albert Messmer had a brilliant idea. After witnessing a football game where the players were skating around on the wet field, he went home and hammered studs into the soles of his shoes. That's the story behind the invention of one of the world's first modern football shoes and, therefore, the origins of hummel.

On its 100th anniversary, hummel aims to be the world's number one sports challenger brand and among the world's biggest sports brands by growing its business to create an even greater positive impact.

"We have an ambition for hummel to be among the top 10 sports brands in the world,” says hummel CEO, Allan Vad Nielsen.

Over the years, hummel has actively participated in the fight for human rights both through unconventional sponsorships, for example the national football teams of Tibet and Afghanistan's women; through notable support of LGBTQ+ people during the 2018 World Cup in Russia; and for the message about human rights for all, in connection with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In addition, hummel has always challenged the norms of sports clothing with the Danish national team jersey from the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which repeatedly appears on lists of the world's coolest national team jerseys, as the most iconic style, as well as the latest shirt being entirely black for the 2022 World Cup.

"It's important for us to constantly set new goals and feel that we're developing. Even though we're up against some global mega-brands, it's deeply rooted in our history and culture that we're not afraid to dream big. It's crucial that we drive a healthy, growing business, so we can continue our vision of changing the world through sports. We're constantly developing our business to create positive changes in the world - and sport is our catalyst," says hummel CEO Allan Vad Nielsen.

"Sport has a unique ability to break down barriers and unite different nationalities, cultures, gender identities, and religions. Whether supporting women's equality, sexual orientation in Russia, or make it possible for all children to play the sports they love, it's an important part of who we are and what hummel stands for. That's also how it will be for the next 100 years," Allan Vad Nielsen says.

To kick off the next 100 years, hummel has invested heavily in product development, new sponsorships, digitalization, and new stores in recent years. Last year, hummel opened a new fully automated distribution center of 31,000m2 in Padborg, Denmark, which is hummel's biggest investment to date.

hummel marks the milestone with a series of events throughout 2023 under the title 'History is what we do now,' which includes relaunches of a range of legendary styles.