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Vibram

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Vibram S.p.A.
Company typePrivate
IndustryFootwear
Founded1937
Headquarters
Albizzate
,
Italy
ProductsRubber Soles
Footwear
Disc Golf Discs
Websitewww.vibram.com

Vibram S.p.A. is an Italian company based in Albizzate, Italy, that both manufactures and licenses the production of Vibram-branded rubber outsoles for footwear. The company is named after its founder, Vitale Bramani,[1] who is credited with inventing the first rubber lug soles.[2] Vibram soles were first used on mountaineering boots, replacing leather soles fitted with hobnails or steel cleats which were commonly used up until then. The soles produced by Vibram are called Vibram soles, Vibram rubber or simply Vibram.

History

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Detail of original Vibram “Carrarmato” lug sole design, with the yellow emblem of Vibram (November 2011)

The deaths of six of Bramani’s mountaineering friends in the Italian Alps on September 15, 1935 was partly blamed on “inadequate footwear”. The tragedy drove Bramani to develop a new climbing sole.[3] Two years later, he patented his invention and launched the first rubber lug soles on the market with a new tread design called the “Carrarmato” (i.e. “tank tread”), with the financial backing of Leopoldo Pirelli of Pirelli Tyres.

The sole was designed to provide excellent traction on the widest range of surfaces and have a high degree of abrasion resistance, and was made using the latest vulcanized rubber of the time. The first successful ascent to the summit of K2 was made by an Italian expedition wearing Vibram rubber on their soles in July 1954.[4]

The company opened a store in Boston in 2012 to showcase their FiveFingers line of glove-styled shoes.[5] The shop was relaunched in April 2020.[6] A Vibram Academy opened in London in 2016.[7]

Products

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Today, Vibram soles are manufactured in Brazil, China, Italy, the Czech Republic and the United States, and are used by more than 1,000 footwear manufacturers in their products.[8] Vibram is well known for pioneering the movement of barefoot running, with the FiveFingers line of shoes, which mimic the look, and mechanics, of being barefoot.[9][10]

In the United States, Vibram soling products are manufactured under exclusive license by Quaboag Corporation of North Brookfield, Massachusetts which was acquired by Vibram in June 2015.[11][12] Although the brand is best known among the outdoor and mountaineering community, Vibram produces numerous models of soles which are specifically designed for fashion, military, rescue, law enforcement, or industrial use. Vibram also produces soles that are used exclusively for footwear resoling.

Vibram soles were used as a product placement for Bee Movie in 2007.[13]

Controversies

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A lawsuit was filed against Vibram in April 2012, over claims made about their Vibram FiveFingers, their minimalist shoe.[14] Vibram claimed that the shoe “reduce(s) foot injuries, and strengthen(s) foot muscles.” The claim was based on Gert-Peter Bruggermann research accepted at the 2005 Conference for the International Society of Biomechanics. Later, a controlled study published in July 2013 showed that the risk of bone marrow edema among new wearers increased during their respective periods of transition to minimalist shoes when worn for extended periods of time.[15] While Vibram, according to court papers, expressly denied “any actual or potential fault… or liability”, it was announced in 2014 that the company had moved to settle the suit and agreed to set aside $3.75 million to pay refunds of up to $94 to anyone who had purchased the product since March 21, 2009.[16][17]

Trivia

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Vibram shoes were sported by European statesman Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of what became the European Union. He specifically mentioned them in an interview he gave in 1955 to French journalist André Fontaine for French newspaper Le Monde, in which he hinted at the forthcoming creation of the Action Committee for the United States of Europe.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Vibram Five Fingers Roots". 18 May 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Vibram FiveFingers Roots". www.vibram.com. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Inventor of the Week: Archive". Web.mit.edu. 24 April 2008. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  4. ^ "The original Vibram sole". vintageexpeditions.wordpress.com. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Vibram has inaugurated a special store at 292 Newbury Street..." sgieurope.com. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Vibram Relaunches Boston Newbury Street Store". fdra.org. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  7. ^ "A new Vibram Academy opens in London". eu.vibram.com. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. ^ "VIBRAM > About Us > Facts & Figures". www.vibram.com. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  9. ^ "FiveFingers". Vibram. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Study: Vibram FiveFingers Lead to Greater Risk of Foot Bone Injury". runnersworld.com. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Vibram USA Acquires Quabaug Corporation". snewsnet.com. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Vibram acquires Quabaug". rubbernews.com. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Vibram Boots in Bee Movie (2007)". productplacementblog.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  14. ^ David Quick (9 April 2012). "Lawsuit filed against Vibram FiveFingersVibram hits its stride". postandcourier.com. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  15. ^ Ridge, ST; Johnson, AW; Mitchell, UH; Hunter, I; Robinson, E; Rich, BS; Brown, SD (July 2013). "Foot bone marrow edema after a 10-wk transition to minimalist running shoes". Med Sci Sports Exerc. 45 (7): 1363–1368. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182874769. PMID 23439417.
  16. ^ "Vibram in $3.75m settlement over false health claims". bbc.co.uk. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  17. ^ Bernstein, Lenny (8 May 2014). "People who bought these Vibram FiveFinger shoes may be entitled to a refund". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  18. ^ André Fontaine (16 June 1955). "M. Jean Monnet déclare que la création des États-Unis d'Europe peut seule stabiliser les rapports Est-Ouest". Le Monde.
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