 | |
| Product type | Footwear,clothing |
|---|---|
| Owner | Iconix Brand Group[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1972; 53 years ago (1972) |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | pony |
PONY is an Americanbrand offootwear andclothing headquartered in New York City under the company namePONY International.[2] It was acquired byIconix Brand Group in 2015.[1]
Founded in 1972 on Madison Avenue inNew York City, PONY was created byUruguayan-born[3] industry veteran Roberto Muller, along with financing provided by Adidas ChairmanHorst Dassler. The company's name is an acronym forProduct of New York.[4] During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pony became one of the top athletic brands worldwide. By the mid-1980s, PONY's sales volume reached US$800 million. The Pony brand has been worn by championship athletes in every major sport, including theFIFA World Cup, theNFL'sSuper Bowl, theCFL'sGrey Cup,MLB'sWorld Series, and theNBA Finals, as well as boxers, most notablyBuster Douglas on the night of hisepic defeat of then-undefeated heavyweight championMike Tyson.
PONY was owned by the English-based company Pentland in the 1990s before a sale toThe Firm entertainment group, based inSanta Monica, California. The Firm relaunched the brand in 2001 with celebrity entertainers includingJustin Timberlake,Korn,Snoop Dogg andParis Hilton.
In 2003, Global Brand Marketing, based inSanta Barbara, California, acquired a majority share of PONY, along with Symphony Holdings andItochu Corporation. In 2006, PONY was purchased by Symphony Holdings,[5][6] a public company based in Hong Kong.[1] Symphony brought in former partner Infinity Associates, who together purchasedConverse from bankruptcy in 2001 andHaggar Clothing in 2005.[7] Jim Stroesser, who was the key partner in rebuilding Converse, was asked to be the CEO/President of PONY in 2006. Stroesser's team relocated Pony fromSanta Barbara, California, to downtownSan Diego. In 2010 the company's U.S. headquarters were moved toLos Angeles.
In February 2015, US corporationIconix Brand Group acquired rights to the brand "PONY" from Symphony Holdings forUS$ 37 million. Iconix acquired rights to North America, retaining option to expand global ownership. Iconix partnered Anthony L&S Athletics to carry out the purchase.[1]
Athletes sponsored by PONY includedPelé,Dan Marino,Bob McAdoo,Nick Galis,Earl Campbell,Franco Harris,Lawrence Taylor,Willie Stargell,Reggie Jackson,Pete Rose,David Thompson,Spud Webb,Darryl Dawkins,Wilson Chandler, andPaolo Rossi. The PONY brand has a strong heritage in boxing, endorsingMuhammad Ali,George Foreman,Larry Holmes, andLeon Spinks.
Collaborations includes 5Preview, Applebum, Art Comes First,[8]Colette (boutique),[9]Dee and Ricky, Foot Patrol,Ricky Powell, JackThreads,Mark McNairy,Michael Michalsky,Ronnie Fieg, Rothco,The Smiley Company, UBIQ and Ricardo Pérez.[10]
Originally PONY was known for producingathletic shoes. The company expanded its offerings to include sports clothing, producingstreetwear. As a result, PONY has partnered with and been endorsed by non-athlete celebrities includingSnoop Dogg, who in 2005 launched his Doggybiscuitz range.[11]
Insportswear, PONY also designed several football kits since the 1990s, including clubs such asOldham Athletic,Huddersfield Town,Dundee United,West Ham United,Hearts,Motherwell,Tottenham Hotspur,Coventry City,Southampton,Luton Town andNorwich City,Chile'sColo Colo,India'sEast Bengal,[12]Mexico'sPuebla,Club León, andSantos Laguna, among others.
PONY designed the kit forParis Saint-Germain F.C. in 1977. PONY in the 1990s signed a Long Complexing brand deal trust with theRoyal Spanish Football Federation for supplies any regional and territorial federations, comprising the different Autonomous communities and cities since 1994 (until 2000 years.PONY's endorsements includeNFL starRandy Moss, who had his own line ofAmerican footballcleats developed.[13] In basketball, PONY signed a deal with theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) in 2007, becoming the official shoe provider for all ABA players.[14]
