Today
December 2008 marked a triumphant return to the apex of popular culture for iconic sneaker brand L.A. Gear. Bringing back signature styles from its hugely popular '89-'90 Unstoppable line, while updating some colors and materials, the company launched L.A. Gear Originals.
Among the styles that have reemerged and been embraced by fans are the Fire High (known for its fiery emblem), the Star Shooter High (B-ball on the tongue), and the K.A.J., which has been a huge hit with its striking metallic silver and gold combo.
In the Fall of 2009, L.A. Gear will release the LA Lights, a trademark of the period. Like the rest of the L.A. Gear Originals line, the LA Lights will be presented in updated versions, for men, women, and kids.
Yesterday
L.A. Gear was founded by Lonnie Britton in 1979, to market and rent roller skates in Venice Beach. In the mid-1980s, L.A. Gear expanded into athletic footwear and almost instantly became popular.
Although L.A. Gear marketed shoes to all ages and genders, the focus of their early commercials and advertising was centered around young women. The earliest L.A. Gear shoes for men were almost strictly basketball-oriented, while the earliest women's shoes were high-top fashion models with a velcro strap across the middle of the foot. Unlike most high-top shoes the early L.A. Gear shoes' eyelets stopped at the ankle, a trend the company took pride in and noted in several ads. Two pairs of shoelaces were typically offered with these shoes, one almost always white and the other a different color. In the case of the women's line, trends dictated that the shoes were usually worn with slouch socks (a recent addition to fashion in the 1980s and a trend L.A. Gear exploited by making their own specific line of slouch socks to be worn with their high-top sneakers, perhaps to further the visibility of the brand).
The line expanded in 1989, with L.A. Gear adding other shoe lines. During this time L.A. Gear began marketing shoes with a flame design on the sides which is still recognizable today. Also during this time L.A. Gear began aggressively targeting its female demographic further by revamping their fashion model line. In addition to adding certain feminine accents to the shoe L.A. Gear also would typically add a pair of shoelaces that were lace-like in appearance (a far cry from the typical laces in shoes today).
One of the original athletes to endorse L.A. Gear shoes was NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who ended a long association with Adidas to sign with the upstart company toward the end of his playing career. Then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana signed an endorsement deal with L.A. Gear in 1990 and quickly became the company's feature athlete. Hockey star Wayne Gretzky was also signed as an endorser while he was still playing with the Los Angeles Kings, and eventually would have his own line of street hockey shoes.
In addition to Abdul-Jabbar, several other NBA stars wore L.A. Gear shoes, including Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Unlike other athletic shoe companies of the day, L.A. Gear was not averse to stepping outside of sports to find the right endorsers, and, in fact, the brand has always had a unique connection to entertainment on the West Coast. One of the earliest celebrities to sign an endorsement deal with the company was singer Belinda Carlisle, who appeared in a series of print ads for L.A. Gear as its star began to rise.
Two of the most notable celebrities to endorse the shoes were Paula Abdul, whose womens shoe became one of the biggest sellers of the early 1990s, and Michael Jackson, who promoted shoes for both men and women. The styles inspired by Jackson have consistently generated buzz among sneaker fans, and were notable as well for the fact the King of Pop only endorsed two brands, Pepsi and L.A. Gear. |
