NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Foot Locker,
Inc. (NYSE: FL), the New
York-based specialty athletic retailer, in collaboration
with PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy and ASICS America, revealed
the winning sneaker design developed during the first "Fueling the
Future of Footwear" Master Class today. Foot Locker will sell only
300 pairs of this exclusive, limited-edition ASICS GEL-Lyte III®
"PENSOLE Reflect" design starting Sept.
17 at select Foot Locker locations, including:
- New York – 112 West
34th Street
- Los Angeles – 8500 Beverly
Boulevard
- London – 283 Oxford
Street
- Paris – 4-6 Rue Pierre
Lescot
- Milano – Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 24/28
- Toronto – 247 Yonge Street
South
- Tigard, Ore. – 9459 SW
Washington Square Road
- footlocker.com
Together, the brands selected 18 students out of 1,400
applicants with skill sets across design, engineering and business
to compete in six teams and create a new silhouette for the ASICS
GEL-Lyte III sneaker. The three-week design course, which took
place in July 2015, featured an
intense competition built upon Foot Locker's commitment to
delivering the freshest, athletic-inspired footwear and PENSOLE's
"learn by doing" footwear design process. The winning team created
a compelling custom design for the iconic ASICS GEL-Lyte III
sneaker.
"Through our partnership with PENSOLE, we are committed to
fostering innovation and creativity in the next generation of
footwear designers and we are thrilled to debut our first winning
ASICS design," said Andy Gray, vice
president and general manager of Foot Locker U.S. "Offering this
special, limited-edition ASICS GEL-Lyte III design created by a
team of fashion-forward thinkers truly demonstrates the core of
everything Foot Locker stands for: delivering the freshest and most
innovative products to our customers."
The competition winners, chosen by ASICS product and marketing
teams and the founder of PENSOLE, D'Wayne Edwards, earned a
$12,000 prize and will see their
breakthrough sneaker design come to life, from conception to
production and ultimately to Foot Locker shelves.
"The future of the footwear industry is reliant upon the type of
creativity, innovation and originality displayed by this
competition's winning team," said PENSOLE founder D'Wayne Edwards.
"At PENSOLE, we are committed to providing hands-on learning and
training to tomorrow's design and business leaders. Our partnership
with Foot Locker makes it possible for students to hone their
craft, prepare themselves for their professional careers and see
their vision become a reality."
The new ASICS GEL-Lyte III design, aptly named "PENSOLE
Reflect," centers around the concept of reflection and mirror
images. The design brings to life the variation between night and
day, sporting bold blue overlays contrasted by bright orange
accents. Further, playing off of a mirror, the right medial side
reflects the ASICS logo from the left medial side. The casual shoe
blends classic construction with contemporary design for optimal
functionality and style.
"Transforming the winning design into a finished product for
retail has been an amazing journey and ASICS is thrilled to be the
first brand to partner with PENSOLE and Foot Locker in this way,"
said Roeya Vaughan, vice president of marketing for ASICS
America. "We could not be more excited about helping to launch the
inaugural season and to support the future of footwear."
For further information, opportunities and more,
visit www.footlocker.com/pensole.
About Foot Locker
Foot Locker is part of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic
retailer that operates more than 3,400 stores in 23 countries
in North America, Europe, Australia, and New
Zealand. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot
Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, SIX:02, Runners Point, and
Sidestep retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channels,
including footlocker.com, Eastbay.com and SIX02.com, the Company is
a leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.
Additional information may be found
at footlocker.com | Instagram: @footlocker |
Twitter: @footlocker |
YouTube: youtube.com/footlocker |
Blog: unlocked.footlocker.com |
Facebook: facebook.com/footlocker | App:
iOS and Android #Approved
About PENSOLE
PENSOLE's "learn by doing" curriculum teaches students the
entire footwear design process: inspiration, concept-development,
design process, problem solving, materials, business, networking,
marketing, and branding. PENSOLE features the most sought after
faculty in footwear, comprised of both young professional designers
and established footwear design leaders from the top footwear
brands, with more than 100 years combined experience to help you
with your professional development.
D'Wayne Edwards, a celebrated member of the global footwear
community for the last 27 years, founded PENSOLE to give talented
young design students—regardless of socioeconomic background—an
opportunity to learn from the industry's best, without financial
barriers, and to provide the industry with a farm system for the
next generation of footwear designers.
Since the first PENSOLE class in 2010, more than 175 Academy
graduates have been placed professionally, full-time or as interns,
for leading footwear companies worldwide
About ASICS
Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning "A Sound Mind in a Sound
Body," is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the
fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The
company was founded more than 60 years ago by Kihachiro
Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of
performance athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. For
more information, visit www.asics.com.
Follow ASICS America
on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for
exclusive content and real-time news about ASICS products, events
and elite athletes.
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SOURCE Foot Locker, Inc.