It might be a bit of an unusual collaboration but with esports teams looking for new revenue streams, this type of partnership makes sense. K-Swiss just announced its partnership with one of North America’s best-known esports teams The Immortals to create a custom pair of sneakers for the club. As expected, the shoe is more of a “lifestyle shoe” as the demands needed by professional gamers won’t be similar to those needed by, let’s say an NBA athlete. “E-sports is the new frontier of sports and entertainment, and this is another way for K-Swiss to contribute to culture in a progressive and modern way,” K-Swiss brand President Barney Waters said in a statement.
K-Swiss designers are said to be shadowing The Immortals players at the team’s LA training facility to custom design the shoes for them and this entire process will be documented for an upcoming video series. “K-Swiss designers will consider a professional gamer’s technical performance needs, such as the rising temperature in a shoe and movement of feet during a match,” the company explains. For fans of the team, the shoes will be available in December for US$110 (around CA$140).
Source: The Verge