|
Posted by Dave
Rap News Network
11/28/2005 8:52:27 AM
Tags and topics realted to this article include Russell Simmons.
Run Athletics a footwear company founded by rap mogul Russell Simmons, Reverend Run, and Rasheed Young announces its Legacy line of sneakers, as well as a special Arthur Ashe sneaker, both slated for release in February 2006. Crafted by acclaimed designer Kevin Saer (Origami, Black Bean Sauce, Phat Farm), the Legacy sneaker and the Arthur Ashe sneaker will feature classic designs with modern updates. A portion of the proceeds of the Arthur Ashe sneaker will benefit the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health ( www.arthurasheinstitute.org ), which Arthur Ashe founded shortly before his untimely death in 1993 at the age of 49 from AIDS contracted from a blood transfusion.
The Arthur Ashe sneaker, available at specialty stores just in time for Black History Month, is a casual tennis sneaker with a timeless design. White with green trim and accents, the sneaker features an Arthur Ashe logo on the eye stay, custom engraved embroidery on the outside sole, and a gray custom suede toe guard. The ad campaign will prominently feature Arthur Ashe and the slogan "History at Your Feet." Retailing at approximately $75, a portion of the proceeds of the sneaker will help to address issues of inadequate health care delivery to minorities.
The Legacy sneaker will be targeted to sneaker connoisseurs and collectors with availability at high-end boutiques. The Legacy sneaker goes back to a simple, old-school design, with features like suede front toe guards, cognac vegetable leather wrap, signature mock croc eye stays, laser cut leather loop labels, custom non-sweat insoles, perforated suede uppers and a side wall of cup sole with laser cut detailing. February's featured colors will be orange/brown and nude/burgundy, retailing at approximately $125.
"Arthur Ashe is really the inspiration behind the entire Legacy concept," Rasheed Young, President and Founder of Run Athletics, explains. "His classic style influenced the design of the Legacy sneaker. The more we thought about it, the more we wanted to honor Arthur directly with his own shoe as well."
"Arthur represents something we don't see much of any more in society and sports," adds Treis Hill, Head of Marketing for Run Athletics. "Arthur Ashe was a class act who considered being a role model part of his duty. He was an amazing athlete and humanitarian, who fought for equal rights for everybody."
As a tennis player, Arthur Ashe was one of the most prominent players of his time. He was the first player to win the U.S. Open and was the #1 ranking American tennis player in his 20s and the #1 ranking tennis player in the world by his 30s. Ashe enjoyed an illustrious ten-year career with over 800 career wins and three Grand Slam singles titles, but his own personal legacy is the positive changes he helped bring about, both within tennis and in society as a whole, from desegregation to the end of apartheid. In 1993 he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban Health, which has recently branched out from New York City to serve minorities in cities around the country.
The February release of the Arthur Ashe sneaker will help further that mission and will take Run Athletics into the mainstream. And with high-end independent retail outlets all across Europe already carrying and raving about the Legacy sneaker, the two-year-old Run Athletics is also poised to take over the U.S.'s growing sneaker fanatic marketplace with the spring release of the Legacy sneaker.
Find out more about Russell Simmons. Other items you may find on Russell Simmons include updates, news, multimedia, chat, links and more. Click here...
|
|
