Teva
Geophysicist Mark Thatcher was the inventor of Teva (pronounced "teh-vah" not "tee-vah" from the Hebrew word for "nature"). While working as a rafting guide in 1982 he noticed the lack of proper shoes for river activities. Sneakers would become heavy when wet and would take days to dry and flip-flops would slide off feet very easily.
Thatcher added a nylon ankle strap to a traditional thong-style sandal, thus creating the first sports sandal. Thatcher patented his invention and signed a deal with the shoemaker California Pacific to manufacture the shoes while he sold the "amphibious utility sandals" as their salesman, selling 200 pairs the first year. Although it was effective watersports footwear, it proved less effective for regular sports as the first Teva users often complained of blisters between the first and second toe caused by the thong-style strapping system. However, in 1984 a sudden high demand of Teva sandals arose as young Americans found the sandal highly fashionable. California Pacific now claimed rights over the Teva name and patent, stating that Thatcher was merely an employee of their company. Thatcher took California Pacific to court and won his case the following year, severing links with California Pacific. Tevas were originated in Flagstaff.
In late 1985 Thatcher set up an exclusive licensing agreement with Deckers Corporation to manufacture and distribute Teva sandals. Deckers eventually got exclusive rights to Teva including patent #4,793,075 for the basic design and a trademark for the brand name. The sandal was redesigned, creating the Universal Strapping System. The first model was called "Hurricane" and is the basis of all Teva sandals.
On November 25, 2002, Deckers acquired the worldwide Teva patents, trademarks and other assets from Mark Thatcher. After this transfer, Teva continued to grow under the supervision of the Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Thatcher remains a manager for Deckers's Teva division while his father and sister work as consultants.
Read more about this topic: Deckers Outdoor Corporation