Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ?
Test you knowledge thanks to this first part of the True or False series.
Asics
Asics is a Japanese company that was originally named Aoki Shinjiro Ikuso Sportswear: Aoki Shinjiro (the founder’s name), Ikuso (Japanese equivalent of “Let’s go!”) and Sportswear (to give the name an international and “cool” touch). When the company decided to go global, the brand name was shortened to its initials – ASIKS. However, the “k” was deemed unaesthetic and changed to a “c”. Thus, Asics was born.
True or False ?
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False. Contrary to many Japanese brands, the name Asics didn’t come from Japanese myths, philosophy, or any other part of the Japanese culture. It is a reference to Juvénal, a Latin poet who lived during the 1st century. Indeed, Asics is an acronym for “anima sano in copore sano”, which means “A sound mind in a healthy body”. This is also the motto of the company. A derivate version of this phrase “Sound mind, sound body” is also used as Asics’ tagline in advertising campaigns.
Auchan
In 1854, Gérard Mildar, son of a Norman farmer, leaves his village to go to Paris in hope of making his fortune. Thanks to a loan from his father and uncles, he opens a small shop on Rue Saint-Honoré to sell high quality fresh fruits and vegetables. As a tribute to his father and his rural roots, he names his shop “Aux Champs” (“in the fields”). Renowned for the quality of his products, he opens several shops in Paris and France. When his son François succeeds him in 1889, he changes the name to Auchan, to expand the business to other products rather than just fruit and vegetables.
True or False ?
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False. The name Auchan comes from a neighbourhood, “les Hauts-champs” in the northern town of Roubaix, where the first Auchan shop opened in 1961. The founder, Gérard Mulliez, whose family specialized in the textile industry, opened his shop in one of the old Phildar factories owned by his father.
Adidas
Since the beginning of the 20’s, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler had been making sports shoes in the family factory “Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik”. At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, American athlete Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals wearing Dassler shoes. However, the brothers fought and went separate ways. In 1948, Adolf founded Adidas. He created the name by combining his nickname “Adi” and the first syllable of his name “Das”. As for Rudolf, he opened his own factory in the same town, on the other side of the river, and founded Puma.
True or False ?
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True.
Häagen-Dazs
In 1949, Søren Häagen leaves his home in Aalborg, Denmark and emigrates to the States. He settles in New York and lives in poverty, working one alimentary job after the other. At the end of the 50’s, after 10 years of hard work, he has enough savings to open a small shop. In 1954, he weds Ludmiła Dazs, daughter of a polish ice-cream maker. They work in Mr. Dazs’ shop for a few years before opening their own ice-cream parlor in 1960. They name the place Ludy’s (as it is Ludmiła’s nickname) but the shop becomes known under the name of its owners, Häagen-Dazs.
True or False ?
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False. Mr. Häagen and Mr. Dazs never existed. Häagen-Dazs was founded in New-York by two Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the 60’s. At the time, Danish products were praised for their quality, therefore, the ice-cream makers chose a Danish sounding name to benefit from this good reputation.
