The story is not exactly new, but many do not know or not even notice the difference between Rhumell, a knitting that sponsored Palmeiras in the “Parmalat” of the 1990s and the Danish Hummel, known worldwide as a reference in handball sports equipment.
Rhumell, which has made one of Alvi-Verde’s most traditional uniforms, the 1993 green stripes, is a Brazilian company that has no relationship-at least friendly or positive-with Hummel Danish.
Rhumell is accused of plagiarizing the European brand, moving through it almost unnoticed for many consumers. This using writing, phonetic and soon very similar to that of the original.
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According to previous statements of Hummel executives, the rival had to remove from her logo the “Chevron”, a symbol composed of two arrows, which was characteristic of Danish knitting. It is a fact that Rhumell has not used the symbol for years. But today it is present in the logo registered at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), controlled by the Ministry of Economy.
In addition, the sponsorship of other clubs in the country, such as Cruzeiro, Portuguese Botafogo and Internacional, contributed to further establish Rhumell in the Brazilian imagination.
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In 2022, upon arriving in Brazil, “Original Hummel” told the specialized page “Mantos do Football” that the coming had delayed 17 years due to court disputes with Rhumell. The promise of the European brand was to monitor its “copy” to “not to be harmed again.”
Despite submitting an appeal against Brazilian brand registration in 2008, according to data available at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), Hummel never managed to overthrow the competitor’s brand registration.
The system shows that the registration of the Rhumell brand of the holder company Rhumell Industrial and Comercial Ltda is in force for the categories “Clothing and Accessories of Common Clothes”, “Clothing and Accessories for Sports Practice” and “Vocational Clothing and Accessories”, and goes to 2034.
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Where the Rhumell came from
When he won Adidas in competition to produce Palmeiras uniforms in 1993, Rhumell was unknown. There is an allegation that the company won the dispute for the uniform of Verdon because its founder, Joelson de Souza Prado, was close to the then president of the club, Mustafá Contursi. To ESPN, in 2018, Arurses claimed that the story was a “fantasy.”
Rhumell has also been the subject of investigations and complaints, including debts with social security and inspection difficulties. But not even the football CPI in the early 2000s, it was able to locate its founders.
The brand was disappeared until 2018, when it returned to football under the licensing of the company Mellgin Representações, at the Uniform of Still Bragantino – which became Red Bull Bragantino in 2020.
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Rhumell’s last appearance was the uniform of the Minas Gerais Tupi Football Club team of Juiz de Fora, to which the uniform of the 2024 season. More recently, however, the team appeared with uniforms manufactured by GSPort Equipment Equipamentos, indicating the likely end of the partnership with Rhumell.
Where is Hummel? And Rhumell?
The report was unable to locate Rhumell’s official website, nor a profile on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Still, you can find brand products in marketplaces, such as Netshoes, including the old logo, which has the Chevron.
The same cannot be said of Hummel. Although the brand is very lively in Europe, the report was unable to find products being sold in Brazil. In addition, your official profile has not made any posts since October 2023.
The report was unable to talk to any Rhumell responsible. In the case of Hummel Brasil, there was contact with Fernanda Sakai, CEO of the brand in Brazil, but she did not answer The Infomoney until the publication of this text.
