Vibram S.p.A. is an Italian company based in Albizzate that both manufactures and licenses the production of Vibram-branded rubber outsoles for footwear. The company is named after its founder, Vitale Bramani. Bramani is credited with inventing the first rubber lug soles for shoes. These soles were first used on mountaineering boots. The soles produced by Vibram are called Vibram soles, Vibram rubber, or simply Vibram.
History
In 1935, the deaths of six of Bramani's mountaineering friends in the Italian Alps was partly blamed on inadequate footwear. The tragedy drove Vitale Bramani to develop a new climbing sole.[1] Two years later, he patented his invention and launched the first rubber lug soles on the market with a tread design called the "Carrarmato", with the financial backing of Leopoldo Pirelli of Pirelli Tires. The sole was designed to provide excellent traction on the widest range of surfaces, have a high degree of abrasion resistance and was made using the latest vulcanized rubber of the time.
In 1954, the first successful ascent to the summit of K2 was made by an Italian expedition wearing Vibram rubber on their soles.
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