K-Swiss introduces the world’s first signature sneaker for an entrepreneur.
The iconic brand makes a partnership for the ages.
A new partnership between K Swiss and Gary (Vee) Vaynerchuk gives birth to two sneakers that are first of their kind. The new line dubbed “Generation K”, the world’s first signature sneaker for an entrepreneur, seeks to shine the spotlight on a new age of business owners with Gary Vaynerchuck as the face of the movement. The campaign features other entrepreneur up and comers like Elliot Tebele of FuckJerry media, Anwar Carrots of Peas and Carrots Clothing, the Dotson sisters of Coco & Breezy Eyewear, and Karen Civil, a hip hop and pop culture reporter. The frontman of the partnership however, and rightfully so is none other than lifelong entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck, who’s new signature sneakers bare his name.
The outspoken CEO has forced himself into the limelight in these past few years with the constant documentation of the birth and growth of his full-service media agency Vaynermedia. Vaynerchuck, a man of many hats earned his fist form of success when he brought his father’s retail wine business to the internet with Winelibrary.com in the early 2000s. From selling and flipping baseball cards as a child to becoming an “angel investor” supporting such startups like Facebook, Twitter, and Venmo, Gary Vee has basically written the book for what it means to be successful in today’s world. Not to mention his three New York Times best-selling books “Crush It” “The Thank You Economy” and “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” which focus on building personal branding and networking. Through Vaynermedia, the proclaimed serial entrepreneur seems to dive into new endeavors quite regularly, the latest being the creation of Vayner X, a media holding company, and Vayner Talent, a platform for emerging influencers from all facets. These business arms are doing well for the young forty year old, who has his sights set on one day owning the New York Jets.
But where does the connection to entrepreneurship and shoes come into play? Gary makes it clear that one goal of his company is to actually buy or partner with iconic nostalgic brands and remarket them. In a conversation with Sneakernews, Gary reflects on entrepreneurship seeping into everyday culture “There used to be an old adage that rappers wanted to be athletes and athletes wanted to be rappers. I think what’s happening now is that rappers want to be athletes and athletes want to be rappers, but they both want to be entrepreneurs.” Vaynerchuck also says he has a childhood connection to the K-Swiss brand as he wore a pair of K-Swiss to his first day of school in sixth grade. In the minds of Gary and many “Sneaker Heads” the iconic shoe brand is credited with creating one of the most influential shoes of all time with the K-Swiss Classics. Although it can be argued that K-Swiss has taken a backseat to such brands like Nike and Adidas, the brand seeks to capture the attention of those who place a greater value on transparent entrepreneurs rather than traditional figures like athletes and fashion moguls.
Without much public mention, the first reference to the collaboration was on July 10th during Gary’s Daily mini web series “The Ask Gary Vee Show” where he was joined by K-Swiss’ President Barney Waters and Global Marketing Director Patrick Buchanan in his New York headquarters. During the show, Gary touted the collaboration as a win-win for his personal brand, saying that at the very worst, it’s a future funny joke on stage “remember when I thought I could do a sneaker”. The forty-two-year-old celebrated his birthday with the drop of the “0001” and “0002” on November 14th. The two sneakers were premiered earlier however at the K-Swiss booth at the Long Beach Complexcon on January 4th and 5th. The fashionable sneakers are Gary’s take on K-Swiss’ “Court Frasco” which retail at eighty-five dollars and the “Icon-Knit” which retail at one hundred and ten dollars, both of which are currently sold out. Both sneakers feature his recognizable signature and a black and green colorway in tribute to his love for the Jets. Also on the shoes are custom insoles with inspirational quotes, as well as cork print lace tips tying back to his roots in the wine business. The sneakers are now available in Foot Action, Shoe Palace, Finish Line, and Urban Outfitters while supplies last. These sneakers have made quite the splash upon their release, being a great combination between fashion and function. In some eyes, the series is are a more respected collaboration than recent ambassador projects like the Steph Curry Under Armor endorsement or Kanye West’s drop of the Yeezys. The collab should be respected as being one of a kind and not just a one-off product, but rather a business venture with even steak between K-Swiss and Gary Vaynerchuck. I’m sure the sneakers will continue to sell and attract the response it deserves from fans, customers, and the media alike in the near future.
Joseph Antenucci is an advertising and brand enthusiast with a proclivity for capturing the heart of our current issues.
