K-Swiss facts for kids
K-Swiss, Inc. is an American athletic shoe brand. It was started in 1966 and is based in Glendale, California.
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| Privately held | |
| Industry | Sportswear, footwear |
| Founded | 1966 |
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| Headquarters |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Footwear, sportswear |
| Parent | KP Global |
The Story of K-Swiss
K-Swiss was started in 1966 in Los Angeles. Two brothers from Switzerland, Art and Ernie Brunner, founded the company. They became very interested in tennis after moving to the United States.
The brothers brought leather tennis shoes from a Swiss shoe maker called Kuenzli. The name K-Swiss comes from the "K" in Kuenzli and "Swiss."
In 2001, K-Swiss bought most of an Australian brand called Royal Elastics. They later sold Royal Elastics in 2009.
In January 2013, a Korean company named E-Land World Limited bought K-Swiss. This sale was for $170 million. After this, E-Land chose a new team to lead K-Swiss Inc.
In June 2015, K-Swiss bought Supra Footwear. The company also moved its main office to Downtown Los Angeles in 2016.
In August 2019, a Chinese sports company, Xtep International Holdings Limited, bought K-Swiss. Then, in 2024, K-Swiss was sold again to KP Global for $151 million. Its main office moved to Glendale, California at that time.
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In the 1990s, Steven Nichols helped K-Swiss grow its marketing. He hired many skilled people from big companies. A team led by Mindy Gale created K-Swiss advertisements from 1997 to 2008.
Their "I Wear My K-Swiss" campaign was very popular. It ran for five years and reached young people in cities.
In 2007, K-Swiss started a new campaign with tennis star Anna Kournikova. An advertisement in 2011 featured Danny McBride as a character named Kenny Powers. This ad got a lot of attention.
In September 2014, the company showed off a new logo and look. This new design highlighted K-Swiss's history as an American tennis brand. The design used a typeface from 1966 and colors like a tennis court.
K-Swiss also sponsors events that appeal to its customers. For example, they sponsored Ireland's first sneaker convention. This event was run by Dub City Sneakz in Dún Laoghaire.
In 2016, K-Swiss president Barney Waters decided to focus on "making sneakers for entrepreneurs." An entrepreneur is someone who starts their own business. The brand worked with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk in 2017.
Since then, K-Swiss has worked with other entrepreneurs. These include Karen Civil, Ben Baller, and Natalie Ellis.
In 2019, K-Swiss released a special shoe collection. It was made with the TV series Breaking Bad.
See also
In Spanish: K-Swiss para niños
