Converse launches Elton Brand line at JC Penney

(The above image was provided by Converse.)

Converse, the North Andover athletic footwear brand, announced a partnership with professional basketball star Elton Brand to create signature basketball shoes available exclusively at JCPenney stores and Penney's retail website.

Converse said the Elton Brand line has launched with the EB1, a signature performance basketball shoe; the EB1 will retail for $65 and is available exclusively at JCPenney.

Converse said in a press release: "The EB1 is designed for players who specialize in using their quickness, agility, and versatility on the court. The shoe features a sleek midfoot strap for lockdown, with a ventilated upper to enhance breathability and a molded sockliner to provide comfort. The shoe is constructed of durable leathers to sustain the wear from Brand's gritty style of play. Brand's "EB" logo, which features his initials and the letter "D" that pays homage to his mother Daisy and his Dunbar Heights neighborhood near Peekskill, NY, is embossed on the midfoot strap."

Converse is a subsidiary of Nike Inc., the Oregon footwear giant.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)