Keds X Mark McNairy

PRO-Keds was established by Keds in 1949 as a performance athletic shoe line to complement the brand's canvas shoe line. Their original low top All Pro shoe was iconic with a red and blue stripe across the sole and two bands along the toe cap. Through the 70's and 80's, PRO-Keds were famously worn by professional basketball players including Nate Archibald, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pete Maravich. The shoes subsequently became one of the first iconic sneaker styles of New York City's hip-hop community and 80's youth culture.

Growing up on the east coast in the 70's and 80's, Mark McNairy was no doubt inspired cult-like status of the shoes. In recent years, McNairy has cut his teeth as a designer for J.Press and Southwick, both with a similar cult-like status in the world of traditional American tailored clothing. In 2009, McNairy stepped into the world of shoe design with his debut collection entitled "Red Brick Soul". The initial collection featured traditional dress shoes, but with their leather bottoms replaces by brick red rubber soles. In the past couple of years, McNairy has expanded his namesake collection to include a full line of dress shoes and clothing that blurs the lines of streetwear and traditional American tailoring.

With the PRO-Keds X Mark McNairy collaboration, McNairy brings his knowledge of the classics as well as his flair and originality to create a collection that is equally representative of both parties. Taking the timeless Keds silhouette and fitting them with gum soles and metal eyelets, McNairy has created a shoe collection that falls in line with his established collection while still maintaining it's heritage.