ASICS Tiger Corporation was founded in 1964 as Onitsuka Toger by Kihachiro Onitsuka. The name ASICS is an acronym of the Latin phrase "Anima Sana in Corpore Sano" which translates to "A Sound Mind in A Sound Body." This Japanese company supplied the first shoes sold by Phil Knight until the distribution relationship ended when Knight broke away to form Nike with Bill Bowerman. ASICS is ranked 9th in sales in the U.S.
Fila was started in 1911 by the brothers Fila in the shadow of the Italian Alps. Its original focus was on making fine fabrics in the early century materials capital of Biella, Italy. The brand grew from fabric production into making undergarments and ultimately sportswear. Fila established itself early on as a high-end, sportswear manufacturer. The quality and luxury of its products attracted personalities such as of Bjorn Borg, Tom Watson, Reinhold Messner and Alberto Tomba. Fila's guiding principles are:
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Keds were launched in 1916 when the U.S. Rubber Company consolidated its numerous styles of rubber-soled shoes into one model. The original Keds were white canvas with a blue Keds label and the name was a mixture of kids and ped. Keds were a long time favorite of kids until the 1970's when the company was overtaken by more expensive and technological sneakers from companies with huge marketing budgets. The company fell into debt and was losing more than twenty million dollars annually until the Stride-Rite Corporation purchase the failing company from Uniroyal for $10.5 million. The first efforts to improve the Keds brand and move into the modern market failed with the introduction of Pro-Keds. The brand was subsequently repositioned as a sensible, low-cost casual sneaker for women and children. The brand developed in this niche with the introduction of more colors and patterns for wardrobe coordination. Sales rose to $227 million in 1989 when Keds began appearing in fashion magazines. The brand was again revitalized when the company hired fashion designer Todd Oldham to design a line of fashion conscious sneakers.
Airwalk was founded in 1986by George Youn and Bill Mann. The company, based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is positioned as another "anti-Nike" company with high-profile customers like Michael Stipe of R.E.M. Airwalks were named after the skateboard maneuver and were designed with foot-dragging and other skateboarding moves in mind. The initial perception of the brand was a statement of rebellion again the cult of the mainstream athlete perpetuated by the bigger brands, but the backlash again skateboarding and the skateboarding image in the early 1990's nearly killed AirWalk. The company survived by marketing their extreme sports shoes to fans of extreme sports. Airwalk shoes are now available to the mainstream at Payless Shoes.
Spalding is the longest running manufacturer of sporting goods in the U.S. and manufactured some of the earliest shoes specifically for playing basketball. Spalding was established by Boston Red Sox (then known as the Boston Red Stockings) pitcher A.G. Spalding in 1876 to provide quality sports equipment.
Created by women for women. In 1987 RYKÄ was founded with two simple missions: to enhance women's lives through fitness and to give back to the women's community. Today, RYKÄ remains committed exclusively to women. RYKÄ designs, develops and markets leading performance fitness products, including fitness apparel and footwear. All RYKÄ shoes are made on a women’s last, and their design takes into account the anatomical features unique to women’s feet -- narrower in the heel and wider in the forefoot. RYKÄ footwear, including aerobics, aqua, cross-training, running, walking and yoga shoes, is available internationally in athletic specialty, sporting goods and independent retailers.
At its inception in 1992, SKECHERS USA, Inc. offered one product line, Sport Utility Footwear, which remains a large part of the company's success. The Manhattan Beach, California-based company designs, develops and markets casual lifestyle footwear for men, women and children. It is one of the few footwear companies to do so with such categorical diversity as boots, shoes, sneakers and sandals. In 1995, Skechers USA opened its first retail store and now operates more than 85 concept and outlet stores throughout the world. Skechers is known for comfortable outsoles and edgy designs that stay true to the meaning of their name. Skechers was a slang word that was popular on the streets for a kid who is super energetic and can't sit still. It defines the person who is into one thing, one day, then quickly onto something else. The name was chosen because Skechers brand caters to the style-conscious people who are constantly seeking what's next in fashion.
Vans was founded on one simple idea. Manufacture and sell the shoes directly to the public and cut out the middleman. Founders, Paul & Jim Van Doren, Gordy Lee, and Serge D'Elia moved to southern California in the mid 60's and opened for their first official day of business on March 15, 1966 with only 3 display models and empty shoeboxes to fill up the shelves. When twelve customers came into the Vans store that morning, Paul & Gordy asked them to come back in the afternoon to pick up their shoes which they then rushed out to manufacture. The customers returned later that day, but in the rush, the new store owners had forgotten to get change so that the customers could pay for the shoes so, the customers walked away with the shoes and were asked to come back tomorrow to pay for them. Miraculously, all twelve customers showed up the following day to pay.
The first Vans shoes had a diamond pattern in the sole across the entire bottom of the shoe. Vertical lines were added later to make it strong, a design that is now the Vans proprietary waffle sole.
Vans has always been associated with alternative lifestyles and counter-cultures. Starting in 1976, skateboarders began wearing Vans and the push was on to have different colors available. On March 16, 1976 Vans premiered the first Vans Era in red and blue. This model was designed by professional skaters, Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. The Vans craze really hit the U.S. with the release of the 1986 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in which California surfer dude, Jeff Spicoli, wore a pair of Vans Checkerboard slip-ons.
Currently, the Vans footwear line features over 60 styles ranging from classic slip-ons to high performance skateboard shoes, snowboard boots, and sandals. The company sponsors numerous events for skate and snowboard as well as the Van's Warped Tour, a yearly music festival. Their products are distributed through 190 company-owned stores and outlets as well as a network of independent stores.
Havana Joe is one of the few brands today that can truly claim a unique style and craftsmanship for their products. Spanish founder Antonio Vicente created this line of footwear in 1989, launching it with the famous slogan “Created for Walking.” Vicente’s goal was to create a shoe designed for pleasure walking that embodied the feeling of freedom, joy of living, and sense of everyday adventure while using the absolute best materials available and high quality of craftsmanship. Havana Joe shoes are the closest modern equivalent to the way shoes used to be made, by hand and one at a time. The high quality and comfort are legendary and typical of all the Havana Joe footwear. Havana Joe’s are manufactured in Spain and come packaged in a unique shoebox. The brand also features Havana Joe Stores and a magazine, Havana Joe Life Magazine.
