K-Swiss announced plans to move into a new skateboarding category for Spring 2010. As part of the effort, skate icon, Greg Lutzka, has signed an extended agreement to serve as the companys new creative director of skate.
A seven-year industry pro with numerous titles including a sweep of the 2009 Tampa Pro, Lutzka will work part- time at K-Swiss' Westlake Village headquarters helping drive the cultural and product platform for the K-Swiss Skate program along with a dedicated brand management and design team. K-Swiss has also formed a skate-specific design team to collaborate with athletes, including the internal design experts behind last years MiSOUL midsole technology introduction.
“Skate has always been a compelling category for us since it is truly native to California,” said David Nichols, executive vice president of K-Swiss. “We feel we can bring something fresh and sustainable to the marketplace with a grassroots approach and the right mix of talent.
Were in a solid position to build and support a cultural, athlete-driven program that helps grow the sport and community over the next several years. We have some of the industrys leading design talent on board, youll see some unexpected product and community-building plays from K-Swiss.”
The initial Spring 2010 collection will include men's-specific performance and lifestyle footwear aimed at the specialty retail channel, including a Lutzka Signature shoe. The company also said its proprietary three-piece toe construction is ideally suited for ollie protection, a critical durability element in skate footwear. New applications of the brands iconic five stripe signature will be integrated into the initial collection.
“I have a great opportunity to build a skate program with K-Swiss that has the potential to be really huge. I'm also helping build out a flawless skate team of pros and ams,” said Lutzka. “I think the industry will be surprised at what comes out of this crew.”
