THE KEDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Keds, the nostalgic sneaker brand that’s been around since 1916, is partnering with IMG, New York Fashion Week and designer Maisie Schloss.
For the upcoming New York Fashion Week, Schloss, creative director of the Maisie Wilen brand, has collaborated with Keds on an exclusive limited footwear line that will be revealed during her runway show scheduled for Feb. 12. Schloss is backed by Kanye West and is a former women’s designer at West’s fashion brand Yeezy. She’s also a Parsons School of Design alumni.
“Working with Maisie is an opportunity to reinvent and put a fresh perspective on Keds,” Jen Lynch, vice president and general manager of Keds, told WWD. “It’s taking our heritage silhouettes and really dimensionalizing them in a way we’ve never done before. Maisie brings forth so much energy and optimism to her apparel and footwear. Being able to have some fun with fashion is a great palette cleanser, giving us a sense of grounding and joy that’s missing in our world today.”
Lynch declined to describe the Schloss designs for Keds, other than indicating it’s a wide array, saying she didn’t want to spoil the surprise at the show. For the fall 2022 New York Fashion Week, Keds, which is a division of Wolverine Worldwide, will reveal another footwear collection with a CFDA designer later this year.
“Working with Keds on this remarkable, women-led collaboration has been a dream,” Schloss said in a statement. “Keds will help to bring an exciting and fun element to complete each of our presentation looks.”
“This partnership will go far beyond New York Fashion Week, and we look forward to bringing these passionate teams together to celebrate creative minds and explore what the future holds,” Patrick Connors, senior vice president of global brand partnerships for IMG fashion events and properties, said in a statement.