K-Swiss taps designer Billy Reid for natural sneakers

By Brad Bourque November 3, 2015

k swiss taps southern designer billy reid for natural sneakers kswissbillyreid — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When K-Swiss was founded in 1966, it was all about using lessons learned from skiing to create a tennis shoe. Both sports needed footwear that was comfortable and supportive, but in particular was able to keep up with quick, repeated side-to-side motion without falling apart or slipping over. The result was the K-Swiss Classic, a sneaker that’s still worn today, but the Arlington is a little bit different.

The Arlington is still built around supportive, durable side support with a vulcanized outsole, but the Arlington Welt is a slightly different take on the sneaker. For that effort, K-Swiss worked with Billy Reid, a Southern designer whose styles reflect the natural inspiration of his home, with unique twists that modernize the classic looks.

KSwissBillyReid-3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

His version of the Arlington Welt takes the more natural look even further with earth tone browns and sand colors that adorn a normally white or grey shoe. The collaboration reflects Reid’s dedicated to authenticity and quality while still finding inspiration in a classic look.

It’s not just the Arlington Welt either, as Reid and K-Swiss have taken the designer’s favorite silhouette and turned it into a high-top as well, the Arlington Welt Hi. The look on these is inspired by the same natural colors and materials found on the low-top version.

KSwissBillyReid-4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whichever way you decide, it’s hard to go wrong with a pair of K-Swiss sneakers. These in particular are a bit more fitting for a casual office or a night out than some of the more athletic minded shoes in the K-Swiss lineup might be, largely thanks to Reid’s inspiration. They’re available now directly from K-Swiss, but don’t kick your feet, they may not last long.

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Brad Bourque is a beer and sneaker writer, retired fantasy football commissioner, and devout Portland Timbers. On the…

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