| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Shoes |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Website | www.pony-europe.com |
Pony International, commonly referred to as simply Pony, is an American brand of footwear and other apparel. Founded in 1972 on Madison Avenue in New York, Pony was created by industry veteran Roberto Mueller, along with financing provided by adidas Chairman Horst Dassler (see details in the book Sneaker Wars). Pony became one of the top athletic brands worldwide. By the mid-1980s, Pony's sales volume reached US$800 million. The Pony brand has been worn by championship athletes in every major sport, including the World Cup, NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series and the NBA championship.
Pony was owned by Pentland, based in England, in the 1990's before a sale to The Firm entertainment group, based in Los Angeles, CA. The Firm relaunched the brand in 2001 with celebrity entertainers including Justin Timberlake, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton. In 2003, Global Brand Marketing, based in Santa Barbara, CA, acquired a majority share of Pony, along with Symphony Holdings and Itochu Corporation. In 2006 Pony was purchased by Symphony Holdings, a public company based in Hong Kong, under the company Sharp Gain Profits Ltd. Symphony brought in former partner Infinity Associates (Mardy Cason and Bill Simon), who were the principals who purchased Converse from bankruptcy in 2001, turned the brand around and sold to Nike in 2003 for $305 million. Jim Stroesser, who was the key partner in rebuilding Converse, was asked to be the CEO/President of Pony in 2006. Stroesser's team relocated Pony from Santa Barbara, CA, to downtown San Diego, CA. Pony was in need of a complete turnaround, and Stroesser's team rebuilt the company's infrastructure and positioned the brand as one of America's most authentic sports brands. In 2010 the company's U.S. headquarters were moved to Los Angeles, CA.
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Pony athletes include Pelé, Dan Marino, Earl Campbell, Franco Harris, Lawrence Taylor, Willie Stargell, Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose, David Thompson, Spud Webb, Darryl Dawkins and Wilson Chandler. The Pony brand has a strong heritage in boxing, endorsing Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Leon Spinks.
In 2002 and 2003, Pony clothing and shoes were highly promoted by rock bands Korn, Staind, and Limp Bizkit. Pony made a signature shoe model for Jonathan Davis, the lead singer of Korn, which he wears while performing live.
Originally Pony was known for producing athletic footwear. The company expanded its offerings to include sport apparel, and it has more recently produced streetwear. As a result, Pony has partnered with and been endorsed by non-athlete celebrities including Snoop Dogg, who in 2005 launched his Doggybiscuitz range. [1]. Most recently, National Football League (NFL) star Randy Moss had his own line of football cleats developed. [2]
Pony also designed several football teams' kits in the 1990s, including teams such as Oldham Athletic, Huddersfield Town, Dundee United, West Ham United, Hearts, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Norwich City, Chile's Colo Colo, Mexico's Puebla, Club León, and Santos Laguna, among others.
Pony has been named the official shoe of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
As PONY begin there 40th anniversary celebrations in 2012 they have collaborated with three unique and exciting talents.
Working with new creative talents Dee & Ricky both of whom bring a vivacious and exciting creative touch to the mix with their Topstar Lo and Slamdunk Hi the first of many promising collaborative projects.
Ricky Powell a New York institution in his own right provides the cultural context for where we’ve come from and how we continue to represent and empower cultural Products of New York. We will be working closely with Ricky on a range of forthcoming products in 2012.
Sneaker Freaker is a recognisable force within the culture but offers much more than a definitive guide to a vibrant and diverse scene. They are DIY, starting from a humble zine to global phenomena documenting the intricacies of avid fans, design and revelations within the sneaker world. Woody and his team have been documenting the history and future of PONY with a book to arrive celebrating our diverse history.