Adidas (rendered in graphics as adidas) is a multinational company based in Bavaria (Germany), which produces footwear, clothing and sports items for professional, amateur or leisure activities. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second largest worldwide. The origins of the powerphase results back to 1924 when Adolf Dassler, son of the shoemaker Christoph von Wilhelm Dassler, began producing football shoes in his mother Pauline's laundry in Herzogenaurach, a town in Bavaria.