K-Swiss

History

K-Swiss was founded in 1966 in Los Angeles by Swiss brothers Art and Ernie Brunner. They became interested in tennis after emigrating to the United States. They imported leather tennis shoes from the Swiss shoe manufacturer Kuenzli. K-Swiss is the pairing of "K" in Kuenzli and "Swiss".

K-Swiss purchased the majority stake of Australian brand Royal Elastics in 2001. It sold Royal Elastics to a management-led investment group in 2009, recording a gain of $1.4 million in the second quarter.

In January 2013, the company — which posted $195 million in losses between 2009 and 2012 — was sold to Korean firm E-Land World Limited for $170 million. The following May, E-Land named a new executive team to oversee the newly formed K-Swiss Inc., including Truman Kim as chairman and Larry Remington as president and CEO.

On June 1, 2015, K-Swiss acquired Supra Footwear. It moved its headquarters from Westlake Village to Downtown Los Angeles in 2016.

In August 2019, E-Land Footwear USA Holdings Inc. and consequently K-Swiss was acquired by Xtep International Holdings Limited, a Chinese sports equipment manufacturer. In 2024, K-Swiss was sold and privatized under KP Global for $151 million, and moved its headquarters to Glendale, California.

Marketing

In the 1990s, Steven Nichols boosted K-Swiss's marketing budget, and hired a number of key individuals from large companies, such as Procter & Gamble. Award-winning Creative Director Mindy Gale led her NY based agency team in developing and producing K-Swiss advertising and publicity campaigns from 1997 until 2008. The "I Wear My K-Swiss" multi-media campaign ran for five consecutive years, targeting young urban consumers in print and on TV.

A re-branding campaign featuring Anna Kournikova rolled out in 2007. A 2011 advertisement, featuring Danny McBride as fictional character Kenny Powers, drew attention for its use of profanity.

In September 2014, the company unveiled a new marque. The new identity was created by a recently appointed internal creative team and plays up the company's heritage as an American tennis brand. All aspects of the new brand's design, including its 1966 typeface and tennis court color palette, hark back to this identity. The company has been sponsoring events that appeal to their market as well as events which are likely to shape buying attitudes and help generate a positive reaction. One example is the sponsorship of Ireland's first sneaker convention run by Dub City Sneakz in Dún Laoghaire which K-Swiss sponsored.

In 2016, K-Swiss president Barney Waters made it the brand's mission to "make sneakers for entrepreneurs." The brand furthered this marketing angle by launching a collaboration with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk in 2017. The company has since launched campaigns with other entrepreneurs, including Karen Civil, Ben Baller, and Natalie Ellis.

In 2019, K-Swiss debuted a shoe collaboration with TV series Breaking Bad.

References

References

1. "Geschichte".
2. Mandour, Joseph. (2012-03-12). "Swiss Shoe Maker Loses to K-Swiss in Trademark Infringement Dispute".
3. Lenetz, Dana. (November 19, 2001). "K-Swiss nab Royal Elastic". [[Footwear News]].
4. (4 May 2009). "K-Swiss sells Royal Elastics division". Los Angeles Business.
5. "View Filing Data: K-Swiss".
6. Nellis, Stephen. (January 25, 2013). "Korean firm pays $170M to get toehold in U.S. with K-Swiss". Pacific Coast Business Times.
7. "K-Swiss Inc.: Private Company Information".
8. Verry, Peter. (June 1, 2015). "[Breaking News] K-Swiss Purchases Skate Brands Supra, KR3W".
9. Belgum, Deborah. (August 2, 2016). "K-Swiss Moving Headquarters to Historic Downtown Los Angeles".
10. "K-Swiss Global Brands to Move HQ to Downtown L.A.".
11. (August 3, 2016). "K-Swiss Global Brands moving headquarters to downtown L.A.". [[American City Business Journals.
12. (2 May 2019). "Chinese sports brand Xtep to buy owner of U.S.' K-Swiss for $260 million". [[Reuters]].
13. Deborah Belgum. (May 15, 2024). "K-Swiss Has a New Owner: Inside the Brand's Comeback Plans".
14. (2022-01-18). "K-Swiss Appoints New Apparel Licensee". K-Swiss.
15. Phalon, Richard. (April 16, 2007). "Turning Tennis White Into Green".
16. Rovell, Darren. (2011-07-12). "K-Swiss' Kenny Powers Ad Draws Attention, Questions".
17. (7 October 2014). "K-Swiss' new brand retains American heritage".
18. (August 8, 2015). "The Beatyard Playlist presented by Dub City Sneaks".
19. Verry, Peter. (2018-10-01). "K-Swiss Is Trying Unconventional Moves — Will They Help the Brand Make a Comeback?".
20. (2017-11-14). "Why Gary Vaynerchuk Is Putting His Name on a K-Swiss Sneaker".
21. (2019-03-11). "K-SWISS Launches "We are the West Campaign" w/ Ben Baller, Karen Civil, Natalie Ellis & More".
22. Miller, Claudia. (2019-03-14). "K-Swiss Takes Inspiration From West Coast Moguls in a New Collection".
23. (October 17, 2019). "This K-Swiss Classic 2000 Is Inspired by 'Breaking Bad'{{'s}} Infamous RV".