Keds Collective Enables Custom Design of Keds Champion(TM), The Original Sneaker; Promotes Entrepreneurial Spirit and a New Online Business Model for the Design, Marketing and Sale of Shoes
LEXINGTON, Mass., Dec 10, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Keds(R), a division of Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group, announced today the next evolution in the iconic American brand's history with the launch of the Keds Collective. Inspired by the brand's vision of creative freedom and individual style, this new online community, housed at www.keds.com, brings together designers, cutting-edge artists, musicians, other creative individuals, and the general public, giving them an easy-to-use, robust online design capability to express their creativity through unique, custom designs on the Keds Champion(TM) -- the original sneaker.
Keds Collective is a wholly new digital forum that integrates today's social media capabilities with leading-edge online shoe design capabilities and e-commerce. The end result is a new integrated online model dedicated to the creative freedom that is Keds -- America's blank canvas and the original sneaker. Keds Collective designers design online, share their designs with others online, and can set up an e-store to market and sell their designs to others -- creating a first-ever electronic business model to design, market and sell shoes. Keds Collective designers will be featured and promoted in the Keds online marketing campaign.
"Keds stands for creative freedom and our iconic Champion sneaker, the world's first sneaker, is America's blank canvas," said Kristin Kohler Burrows, President of Keds. "In conjunction with this brand philosophy, we have created Keds Collective, a place where fashion, commerce and creativity converge. It's a new online model dedicated to the creative freedom of Keds and an inspiring and fun site offering aspiring designers and creative-minded people an opportunity to design their own shoes and start their own businesses selling their unique styles online at keds.com."
The Keds Collective community includes emerging and established artists selected from across creative disciplines. The initial fall 2009 Keds Collective group features 18 members -- and growing -- from music, design, art and fashion. Highlighted members include Saturday Night Live Stylist and costume designer, Jeriana San Juan, and Ben Warwas, designer of his eponymous clothing label, among others. Keds will continue to grow this community and feature fresh new talent on the Keds Collective website with cross-promotion on Facebook and Twitter. New Keds Collective members will be announced on an ongoing basis and will include both emerging talent and members of the general public. Keds will be creating an online application process at www.keds.com for those wishing to become Keds Collective designers to submit their design(s), along with a biography and personal video explaining why they should be a part of the Keds Collective community.
Keds Collective designers use the Keds Custom design tool and the iconic Champion as their own "blank canvas" upon which they can upload their own artwork, graphics and text instantly, or utilize pre-populated imagery available at the site. When applying text, consumers can select from up to 100 fonts and choose any color. Once Keds Collective designers have created their designs, they can then either buy that shoe or set up their own online store offering their custom designs for sale to the online community -- creating a one-of-a-kind new online model and entrepreneurial approach within the footwear industry. The pre-populated prints gallery will continue to expand over time, and a pre-populated image gallery will be added shortly. The Keds Custom tool is open to all users; the Keds brand team will select the design members for the Keds Collective community.
"No other footwear company provides this level of customization; nor do any allow independent designers the opportunity to create their own store," said Kohler Burrows. "With Keds Collective, we are creating a first-ever online model for the design, marketing and sale of shoes."
The Keds Collective is powered by customization and on-demand manufacturing leader Zazzle, Keds' technology partner for its customization and Keds Collective programs. Zazzle is an important partner of Keds to bring forward the Keds Collective program. Zazzle provides the technology that enables the application of the custom design onto the canvas of shoes for the quick-turn manufacturing process, as well as assists Keds in setting up the e-stores for Keds Collective designers.
Under the Keds Custom and Keds Collective programs, the Champion is offered in women's and children's sizing; men's styles will be added later this year. Retail prices are set by the individual designers with a base price recommendation of about $60.
About Keds
In 1916, Keds started a footwear revolution by creating the world's first sneaker. Through the years, the honesty, optimism and simplicity of Keds has brought people together. From movie stars to basketball legends, artists to tennis pros, first ladies to beatniks, just about everyone has walked, skipped or jumped in a pair of Keds. Keds power to endure comes not only from its unique American heritage, but also from its ability to stay true. The core of the Keds line is the iconic Champion style -- a simple rubber-soled shoe that over 90 years ago invented the world's first sneaker and invited us all to run a little faster, jump a little higher, and play a little longer. The Champion is the perfect place to start, and to come back to; the blank canvas that keeps all creative possibilities open. Keds is also bringing people together to make a difference in our environment, with Keds Green, a line of footwear featuring organic cotton uppers, non-toxic inks and dyes, and recycled outsoles and laces. Pro-Keds has been a free-spirited American performer since 1949. Born of basketball courts, afternoon pickup games, and backyard parties, Pro-Keds have been worn by basketball legends for decades.
Keds is a division of Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group (PLG), which focuses on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear for men and women, and high-quality children's footwear. PLG is a unit of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS), headquartered in Topeka, Kan., a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide through multiple channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing.