Keds facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Sportswear and Sports Goods |
| Founded | 1916 |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Areas served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Brendan Hoffman, CEO of Wolverine World Wide |
| Products | Footwear |
| Parent |
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Keds is a well-known American brand that makes cool canvas shoes with rubber soles. It started way back in 1916. Keds made the very first popular canvas-top sneaker. Over the years, Keds has been owned by different companies. Since 2023, Designer Brands has owned and run Keds.
Contents
The Story of Keds Shoes
How Keds Started: The First Sneakers
In 1916, a company called U.S. Rubber brought together 30 different shoe brands. They wanted to create one big shoe company. They first thought of the name "Peds," which comes from the Latin word for feet. But that name was already taken!
So, they chose "Keds" instead. Their first shoe design was called the Champion. It was the first canvas shoe with a rubber sole sold to many people. These shoes became known as "sneakers" because their soft rubber soles let people "sneak around silently."
By the early 1920s, Keds shoes were very popular. Olympic soccer players, tennis champions, and college athletes all wore them. In 1926, Keds introduced the Triumph shoe. In 1938, Keds also made "Kedettes," which were washable high-heeled shoes for women.
Pro-Keds: Shoes for Athletes and Stars
In 1949, Keds launched a new line of shoes called Pro-Keds. These shoes were made for sports and serious athletes. They were designed to compete with other popular athletic shoes like Converse.
The first Pro-Keds style was the Royal. It was made especially for basketball players. Famous basketball player George Mikan even wore them! In 1953, the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team wore Pro-Keds.
In 1969, Pro-Keds introduced the 69er shoe. These shoes became super popular in Harlem and The Bronx in New York City. People there even called them "Uptowns." In the early 1970s, the Royal Plus came out. This shoe had a soft suede top and was known as the "Suede Super."
Many NBA stars wore Pro-Keds, including Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and "Pistol" Pete Maravich. Even famous musicians like The Ramones wore them. By the late 1970s, Pro-Keds were also very popular in the hip-hop community.
In 1980, Pro-Keds launched new basketball shoes, including the Shotmaker. Basketball players like Ralph Sampson wore these. In 1981, famous boxer Sugar Ray Leonard became a spokesperson for Pro-Keds.
Keds Today: New Owners and Campaigns
In 1979, the Stride Rite Corporation bought Keds and another shoe brand, Sperry Top-Sider. They paid $18 million for them.
Keds has worked with many other companies to create special shoe collections. Some of these include Kate Spade New York, Madewell, and Opening Ceremony. In 2009, Keds teamed up with Loomstate to make shoes from organic cotton and recycled rubber. These shoes used non-toxic inks and dyes.
In 2012, a company called Wolverine World Wide bought Stride Rite Corporation and Keds.
In July 2015, Keds started a new campaign called "Ladies First Since 1916." This campaign focused on empowering girls and women. Famous people like Taylor Swift were part of it. In 2016, Keds celebrated its 100th birthday! They continued their "Ladies First" campaign with a party during New York Fashion Week. The company also announced that for the first time in 35 years, their shoes would be made in Michigan, in the U.S.
Since February 2023, Keds has been owned and run by Designer Brands.
