The story of K-SWISS
Few sneaker brands have stuck with one sport for six decades. K-Swiss has. Since 1966, tennis has guided every step of its story.
Art and Ernie Brunner were Swiss skiers who had settled in California. They saw that leather ski boots locked the foot in place during sharp turns, and they brought that idea to tennis.
The result was the K-Swiss Classic, the first all-leather tennis shoe ever created, with five stripes and D-ring lacing. By the 1970s, it was a staple on courts and in country clubs.
Since it’s inception, the Californian-headquartered brand has defined the California tennis lifestyle, fusing authentic performance footwear with the laid-back elegance of West Coast sport culture.
In the 1990s, the SI-18 International won Shoe of the Year for its innovative lacing. At the same time, the Classic moved into lifestyle, helped by Ice-T wearing a pair on The Arsenio Hall Show.
The 2000s brought the bolder Classic LX and the "I Wear My K-Swiss" campaign on MTV, turning the shoe into a street-style icon.
Six decades later, the K-Swiss Classic remains one of the market’s most recognizable sneakers—a enduring blueprint for footwear that never goes out of style.
Tennis is K-Swiss’ North Star—the anchor of a brand identity built on court excellence and timeless American design. Today, the brand is doubling down on the court.
In 2024, top-10 player Andrey Rublev signed a multiyear deal and co-designed his signature shoe, the K-Frame Speed Rublo. The Hypercourt line adds a carbon plate for energy return and stability built for elite players.
"Serving elite tennis athletes pushes our team to innovate to meet their demands, which has resulted in huge advancements in our tennis line. We can then cascade those advancements across our entire product range to improve the performance of players at all levels."
Jamel Khadir, GM of performance
K-Swiss marked its 60th anniversary around the 2026 US Open with limited collaborations, including Sunset Tennis Club and designer Action Figure Miles, plus events in New York.
The goal is clear: grow in performance tennis without losing the heritage. K-SWISS is investing in R&D to keep innovation at the heart of every product release and push the best performance products on the market.
