What if I told you Brooks Running started out making ballet slippers and bathing shoes? Founded in 1914, the Seattle-based company spent decades making just about everything except running shoes, moving from baseball cleats to roller skates, football cleats, children’s shoes, and softball cleats. It wasn’t until 1972 that Brooks made running its focus, and the company has been refining the category ever since.
Brooks introduced one of the industry’s earliest uses of EVA foam, developed the first running shoe with a breathable GORE-TEX upper, and introduced the Kinetic Wedge, an innovative design tailored to women’s anatomy.
