Nearly everyone on the west coast has owned a clean pair of K-Swiss at some point in their life.  From awkward highschooler to hardened ese, whether worn in icy white or classic black, the five stripes have have become a go-to lifestyle footwear brand.  So it might seem strange that there’s been a marked resurgence of the California-native company in higher end shops and specialty boutiques–but only because most are not aware of the interesting amount of heritage behind the Kompany-Swiss.

The two Swiss brothers were actually world class skiers, and after immigrating to California they discovered a new love: tennis.  They were baffled by the fact that, at the time, there were still no hi-performance leather shoes being made specifically for the sport.  Thus K-Swiss was founded in 1966, with no dreams of grandeur but simply to fill their own and other athletes’ need for a functional shoe made for the sport they loved.

The original shoes were sold only in pro-shops and specialty stores, retailing for around $25-$30, which was a considerable amount for a pair of shoes at the time.  But what the Classic asked for in price K-Swiss translated into the best materials and technology the company had to offer during that era.  

They knew tennis players needed a material that would give them enough comfort and mobility, while still providing support, durability, and aesthetic appeal.  So leather was sourced from the best tanneries in Argentina.  The upper was designed with only three pieces of leather: two laterally on either side of the foot, and one running straight up the center for the tongue, in order to minimize the abrasion of seams and to maximize comfort for the wearer.  The now infamous five stripes on the side were not meant as a branding device, but as a functional feature, as on the original Classic they were designed like five fingers literally extending up on either side and locking together like a clenched fist for a secure hold on the wearer’s foot.

The brothers Swiss were skiers, so they wanted a shoe that had a sturdy lacing system like the strong metal eyelets they found on their ski-boots.  Thus “D-Rings” were procured from Germany, made with an alloy that would neither rust nor shift with temperature changes.  And finally they knew good tennis originates from proper footwork: the ability to stop, accelerate, slow, change direction, establish proper position, etc.  Therefore it was crucial to have an outersole that had the proper traction and responsiveness for effective court-feel and the quick movements of a tennis player.  And who better to provide the best rubber than a company who was already proving its technology in high-performance car tires?  The herringbone outersoles came from none other than Pirelli in Italy.  All of these pieces came together in California where the shoes were put together domestically in the United States.  Most don’t know K-Swiss used to be a bonafide American brand with smart tastes in the best components gathered internationally and produced in the good’ol US of A.

When you purchased a pair of K-Swiss Classics, you weren’t just buying sneakers–you were making an investment into a truly remarkable pair of shoes that boasted the best materials and design for maximum performance and styling on and off the court.  Like Alden or Redwing, it was possible to send your shoes in after the bottom had been worn-out to have them re-soled and returned to you.  The company remained an essentially one-shoe brand until K-Swiss was eventually bought by Steven Nichols, who currently runs the company like a private business.  The K-Swiss most today are familiar with is a product of his clever marketing and interactive features like personalizable-color-stripe models.

On the heels of the Hederus for K-Swiss project, K-Swiss is bringing back the Classic M3850KS [slightly modified with functional technology], for this month exclusively available at Opening Ceremony.  Today, the Classic is obviously obsolete for actual tennis use but has become a indelible lifestyle shoe.  The most notable difference in the Classic is the sapphire-blue pouron midsole which has been added for comfort and arch support.

Unfortunately, the current Classics don’t feature all the same materials as the originals (obviously due to production costs) but the design has been revived to celebrate and commemorate the brand’s early roots.  What’s really interesting is that the boxes of these particular shoes are all original boxes which K-Swiss actually no longer had by the time Nichols had purchased the company.  Consequently, for this release of the Classics, K-Swiss literally went directly to a collector to buy the original boxes for the original K-Swiss Classics.  So, ironically, perhaps the box holds more history and heritage value than the shoes themselves!

It’s a shame K-Swiss is no longer making shoes like they used to, or at least producing a special line with premium materials and construction like they did in the past for select accounts (maybe an idea for any K-Swiss employees reading this???).  Nonetheless, it’s good to know the heritage that exists behind the brand.  It helps us to appreciate the company and understand why stores like Opening Ceremony are picking up what many consider to be a conventional, casual shoe.

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http://www.kswiss.com

http://www.openingceremony.us

Fun notes:

For awhile there was a certain run of Classics that used leather from Czechoslovakia that had a slight bump in the toe leather.  Shoe collectors would contact headquarters and retailers and have employees go through each pair box-by-box just to find the rare “Czech” models they wanted.

Today people from the older generation still call K-Swiss headquarters to inquire about sole-replacement like they used to do.

Many stores report customers stopping in sometimes as often as once every other month just to replace a pair of K-Swiss that might have been marked or scuffed from use with a shiny new pair.

via Caleb, 29 May 2009 10:30am | 7 |