Just want to buy a pair of KangaROOS right now? KangaROOS.
If you grew up in the 1980s, you’d remember what was called “the shoe with the pouch.” What had become a cultural icon had a very simple start. Let’s have a little flashback.
The 1970s were the start of the fitness revolution and most of the enthusiasts chose jogging as a sport. Enter Bill Rodgers, an American-born runner and a multiple record holder for the Boston and New York City Marathons in the late 1970s. Because of his smashing successes, the jogging craze was born.
Among all the American jogging enthusiasts is architect Robert Gamm. In 1979, he was an enthusiast who would run ten kilometers a day but had a common problem. Like most runners, he preferred to wear light athletic clothes without pockets that would weigh him down or put him off balance. His solution was simple: put a pocket in his shoes where he could store his keys and money in safety.
Football Legend Walter "Sweetness" Payton is remembered for his KangaROOS shoes.
He realized that he had solved a dilemma and recognizing that there were other athletes like him that had exactly the same problem, marketed his shoes with great success. In the early 1980, he was selling an excess of 700,000 pairs a month.
Gamm was not one to stick to a basic design and started refining his shoes even more. This led to important innovations in sports footwear, like the Dynacoil, which was a patented energy release system invented by a former Nike designer name Ray Tonkel and consultant Al Gross. It passed tests with NASA and again, was a success. It was afterwards copied by shoe manufacturers and incorporated into their designs.
ROOS were the “it” shoes of the ‘80s decade and were made popular with star athletes like Walter Payton, O.J. Anderson, and William “The Fridge” Perry using them for football training, Ozzie Smith, Vince Coleman, and Ron Darling being very conspicuous on the baseball field in their ROOS, and Kenyan track stars using them to win their races.
Staying cool in school with KangaROOS Volusion Shoes
The fad spread to amateur athletes and schoolkids around America. But, not contented with being a fad, Gamm kept up his dedication in making KangaROOS serious footwear for athletes. He constantly worked with a 10,000 square meter testing facility at the University of Illinois called the KangaROOS Laboratory and Gymnasium. From here, the sneakers evolved into footwear for American football, basketball, hockey, tennis, and track and field.
Unfortunately, because it was perceived more as a fad than as a serious player in the footwear market, KangaROOS started losing popularity in the late 1980s, despite its growing popularity in the European Market. Abroad, the product lineup was widened to include apparel and other sports accessories. The company, however, was forced to close and the unique “sneakers with a pocket” were withdrawn from the market.
In 1991, Pentland Group UK decided to buy out the company and, with a unique Facebook-based marketing campaign, rekindled interest in the ROOS. The nostalgia the fans felt when talking about their childhood shoes led to request for specific styles they had as kids. The reinvigoration largely stemmed from social interaction online, which led to the company’s decision not to have a physical store but to only sell their shoes online. As of today, thousands of customers make use of the service, leading to the brand sales to be driven up once more.
The ad for the Walter Payton 2009 Limited Edition Collection.
That led the American market to be interested in their ROOS once again, and One7 Holdings LLC of Boston, Ma. won the rights to design, market, and distribute the ROOS in America in 2007. A Walter Payton Limited Edition Collection of updated styles like what their first professional sports endorser and NFL Legend Walter “Sweetness” Peyton used to wear was launched in 2009 to great success to celebrate the “30 Year Anniversary” of the KangaROOS brand.
KangaROOS seem to have leapt over their problems in the United States and are gaining grounds in their home country and in 60 countries all over the world. They’ve morphed into a global lifestyle brand and distribute footwear, apparel, and sports accessories online on retail partner sites like the Finish Line, Zappos, DSW, and Journeys.
Although, even if it is now a lifestyle brand, KangaROOS still has the same commitment that Bob Gamm had when he was running the company himself. It still develop shoes with their sports heritage in mind and they stay true to the basic aesthetic designs that Gamm himself came up with.
Creativity, innovation, uniqueness, and fun. All this embodies the pioneer spirit that America is known for, and the richness of that culture ensures the future of this brand.
So, be sure to bounce your mouse over to the new KangaROOS site and check out www.kangaroosusa.com.
Purchase your own pair of KangaROOS right now!
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