Skechers

Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is the third largest footwear brand in the United States.
History
Skechers was founded in 1992 by Robert Greenberg, who had previously founded LA Gear in 1983 (he stepped down as CEO of that company the same year he founded Skechers). Greenberg sought to focus on men's street shoes; Skechers' early products were utility-style boots popular in grunge fashion. The company quickly expanded to include women and children, with casual and athletic styles, and went public in 1999. In 2011, Skechers launched its performance sportswear line for athletes and signed Meb Keflezighi as a spokesman.
Skechers is the third largest footwear brand in the United States by revenue. In January 2019, the company started an expansion of its corporate headquarters to double its office, design and showroom space in the South Bay. In 2023, Skechers had its debut on the Fortune 500.
Litigation
In 2012, Skechers agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for $40 million based on a U.S. Federal Trade Commission complaint that it had misled customers with its Shape-Ups rocker bottom shoe ads. In 2019, Nike filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Skechers because, according to Nike, Skechers had infringed on the design of their VaporMax and Air Max 270 sneakers.
Forced labor investigation
In 2021, French prosecutors launched an investigation into whether Skechers and other brands had concealed or profited from forced Uyghur labor. Skechers has found no evidence of forced labor taking place.
Products and advertising
Skechers designs, develops and markets a range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for adults and children. Its brands include Skechers Sport, Slip-ins, D'Lites, the charity line Bobs, Mark Nason, Skechers Work, Go Walk, Go Run, and Go Golf. Since 2020, select shoes have utilized Goodyear rubber.
Skechers has promoted its products with celebrities including singers Ava Max and Cha Eun-woo; television personalities Martha Stewart, Brooke Burke, and Amanda Kloots; baseball player Clayton Kershaw and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard; footballers Jamie Redknapp and Michael Ballack; and American football players Tony Romo, Howie Long, and Cris Carter. Skechers Performance has featured distance runner Meb Keflezighi and professional golfers Brooke Henderson and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Since 2010, Skechers has been a regular Super Bowl advertiser, with spots featuring Kim Kardashian, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg.
On March 1, 2019, Skechers launched a print and digital comparative advertising campaign titled "Just Blew It" to highlight the Zion Williamson failed shoe incident with rival Nike.
Skechers has been a partner of W Racing Team (WRT) in sports car racing, including former MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, since 2021. WRT's parent company, Weerts Group, services Skechers' European distribution center in Liège, Belgium.
In 2022, the brand expanded into pickleball, signing several of the sport's top players and sponsoring the first nationally televised pickleball tournament in the U.S. In August 2023, Skechers announced a move in to soccer, with a new boot, the SKX 01 model, worn and promoted by England national football team player and top scorer Harry Kane.
Sponsorships
Golf players
Brooke Henderson
Emily Pedersen
Matt Fitzpatrick
Russell Knox
Colin Montgomerie
Belén Mozo
Billy Andrade
Matt Atkins
Wesley Bryan
Matt Kuchar
Ashlan Ramsey
Football players
Harry Kane
Josh Wilson-Esbrand
Ria Bose
Shania Hayles
Alvaro Morata
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Basketball players
Terance Mann
Show biz and TV
Fabio Cannavaro
Benedetta Parodi
Philanthropy
Skechers launched its Skechers Foundation in 2010. Skechers and the Friendship Foundation host an annual walk in Manhattan Beach to raise money for a nonprofit that helps connect special-needs students with their peers.
Skechers donates new shoes to children in need worldwide through its Bobs charity program. The shoes support Head Start programs, education foundations, homeless shelters, disaster relief and 501(c)(3) organizations. Bobs also support animal welfare groups including Petco Love and Woodgreen Pets Charity.
Entertainment
Skechers has developed—with MoonScoop Group and animator/co-producer John Massé—an animated series, Zevo-3, and several direct-to-DVD features produced by SD Entertainment:
Hydee and the Hytops: The Movie (2011)
Twinkle Toes (2012)
Twinkle Toes Lights Up New York (2016)
References
External links
(consumer)
(corporate)
1992 establishments in California
1999 initial public offerings
1990s fashion
2000s fashion
American companies established in 1992
Athletic shoe brands
Clothing brands of the United States
Clothing companies based in Los Angeles
Clothing companies established in 1992
Companies based in Los Angeles County, California
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Manhattan Beach, California
Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Manufacturing companies established in 1992
Shoe brands
Shoe companies of the United States
Sportswear brands