Skechers

Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear and apparel 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. A December 2023 report by Sheffield Hallam University again found connections to 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 musicians including Ringo Starr, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Snoop Dogg; television personalities Martha Stewart, Brooke Burke, and Amanda Kloots; baseball player Clayton Kershaw and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard; and American football players Tony Romo, Howie Long, and Cris Carter. Since 2010, Skechers has been a regular Super Bowl advertiser.

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.

Skechers Performance has featured distance runner Meb Keflezighi and professional golfers Brooke Henderson and Matt Fitzpatrick. 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 autumn 2023, Skechers announced a move into soccer and basketball, introducing new technical shoes worn and promoted by England national football team player Harry Kane and NBA players Julius Randle and Terance Mann.

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 supports 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)