K-Swiss is upping its “cool factor” with its latest hire.
The athletic brand has named frequent footwear industry collaborator Anwar Carrots as creative director of its new premium line. The appointment marks a major shift for the heritage brand as it reconnects with its roots through a streetwear lens, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The new line, dubbed K-Swiss Racquet Club (KSRC), will launch July 10 and will roll out in four seasonal drops over the next year. The company said to expect to see premium versions of K-Swiss icons alongside new silhouettes, all filtered through Carrots’ point-of-view.
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The first release out next month will include the Konejo, a reworked 2000s runner; the Classic 66, an updated take on the original tennis style; the SI-18 International C, an evolved version of the silhouette from 1989; the Slammklub, a modern spin on court style; the Gstaad Gold, a luxe reinterpretation of the original; the Before the Classic, an archival silhouette that predates the Classic 66; and the Kraft, a brand-new silhouette rooted in workwear and streetwear.
“I’m not just collaborating — I’m contributing to the rebirth of a legacy,” Carrots said in a statement. “It’s always part of my vision to align with heritage brands that have real roots. My role now is about bringing heritage, culture, and clean white tennis shoes straight from my creative garden.”
The creative direction is rooted in personal history. “I had to take it back — I placed my mind in 1998, back to being 8 years old in Orlando, Fla.,” Carrots added. “My dad used to rock K-Swiss heavy, and the way he’d coordinate his outfits with a fresh white pair was always clean to me. That memory is what shaped this collection.”
To celebrate the launch, K-Swiss will host a five-day activation at Big Shot Coffee in Paris during Men’s Fashion Week, giving select retailers and friends of the brand a first look at what’s coming from Carrots.
This move comes a year after K-Swiss gave an inside look at its comeback plans which included a new executive team, new shoe designs, a new owner, and a new headquarters in Glendale, Calif.
It’s been a frenetic few years for the company: In 2019, it was acquired for $260 million by Xtep International Holdings Limited, a Chinese sports equipment maker with $2 billion in annual revenues. Xtep’s purchase came at a challenging time, right before COVID-19 sent the world into an economic tailspin. Despite the pandemic, Xtep went on to open 60 K-Swiss stores in China with high-end products selling for as much as $140.
But amid challenges, Xtep announced in 2024 that it entered into a definitive agreement with its controlling shareholder, Ding Shui Po, for the sale and privatization of KP Global, which houses the K-Swiss and Palladium brands. The transaction was valued at $151 million.
K-Swiss was started in 1966 by Art and Ernie Brunner, two Swiss brothers who came to California and launched K-Swiss with one shoe silhouette – an all-leather tennis shoes whose design was taken from a ski boot that provided more lateral movement for better court play. The K-Swiss Classic was a hit and stayed at the top of the product charts for many years.