Stride Rite announces new direction for PRO-Keds

The Stride Rite Corp. of Lexington said today announced today that it has reacquired its rights to the PRO-Keds brand from licensee and hip-hop mogul Damon Dash (lower right).

Stride Rite added that it will bring the brand back in-house as part of a new strategic direction for the PRO-Keds business.

PRO-Keds was established in 1949 as a performance athletic footwear line primarily aimed at basketball, and it became synonymous with some of the biggest names in basketball and professional sports; key endorsers for the brand included George Mikan, "Pistol" Pete Maravich, JoJo White, Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Nate "Tiny" Archibald, among others, Stride Rite said.

Stride Rite said it will launch the new PRO-Keds men's collection taking core classic styles , such as the Royal, Court King, and Royal Master, from its archives and refreshing the silhouettes with new materials, colors, and other trend details, as well as enhanced comfort features.

With a suggested retail price range of $50 to $80, the shoes will initially be available in November 2008, with a wider collection forthcoming next spring, Stride Rite said.

Stride Rite is now a unit of Collective Brands Inc. of Kansas.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)