please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . july 2007 learn how and when to remove this template message vibram s.p.a. type private industry footwear founded 1937 headquarters albizzate italy products rubber soles footwear disc golf discs website www.vibram.com 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 1 who is credited with inventing the first rubber lug . vibram soles were first used on mountaineering boots replacing leather soles fitted with hobnails or steel cleats commonly used up until then . the soles produced by vibram are called vibram soles vibram rubber or simply vibram . contents 1 history 2 products 3 controversies 4 references 5 external links history edit detail of original vibram carrarmato lug sole design with yellow vibram emblem in 1935 the deaths of six of bramani s mountaineering friends in the italian alps was partly blamed on inadequate footwear . the tragedy drove bramani to develop a new climbing sole . 2 two years later he patented his invention and launched the first rubber lug soles on the market with a tread design called the carrarmato tank tread 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 . products edit today vibram soles are manufactured in brazil china italy and the united states and are used by more than 1 000 footwear manufacturers in their footwear products . 3 vibram is well known for pioneering the barefoot running movement with the fivefingers line of shoes that mimic the look and mechanics of being barefoot . 4 in the united states vibram soling products are manufactured under exclusive license by quabaug corporation of north brookfield massachusetts . although the brand is best known among the outdoor and mountaineering community vibram produces numerous models of soles specifically designed for fashion military rescue law enforcement or industrial use . vibram also produces soles used exclusively for footwear resoling . vibram also produces a line of disc golf discs . they have released several putters and fairway drivers . controversies edit in 2012 a lawsuit was filed against vibram over claims made about their vibram fivefingers minimalist shoe . vibram claimed that the shoe reduce s foot injuries and strengthen s foot muscles . a controlled study published in 2013 showed that the risk of bone marrow edema among new wearers was actually increased during the period of transition to minimalist shoes . 5 while vibram has expressly denied any actual or potential fault or liability on may 7 2014 it was announced that company has 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 . 6 references edit vibramfivefingers.com roots archived may 18 2015 at the wayback machine . inventor of the week archive . web.mit.edu . retrieved 2010 06 14 . facts & figures archived august 25 2012 at the wayback machine . fivefingers . vibram . retrieved august 11 2012 . foot bone marrow edema after a 10 wk transition to minimalist running shoes . july 2013 . lenny bernstein may 8 2014 . people who bought these vibram fivefinger shoes may be entitled to a refund . washington post . retrieved may 8 2014 . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to vibram . http www.vibram.com official site retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title vibram & oldid 741771491 categories italian brandsitalian inventionssporting goods manufacturers of italycompanies established in 19371937 establishments in italyhidden categories articles with wayback machine linksarticles needing additional references from july 2007all articles needing additional referencescommons category with local link same as on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version in other projects wikimedia commons languages deutschfran aisbahasa indonesiaitaliano polskisloven ina edit links this page was last modified on 29 september 2016 at 15 30 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view