Lugz

Lugz is a boot and athletic brand by family-owned Jack Schwartz Shoe Company Inc., (JSSI). The brand was established in October 1993, and was aimed toward the urban fashion consumer. Lugz is sold in major retailers worldwide and offered in men's, women's and kid's styles in 93 countries.[1]

Lugz
TypeSubsidiary of Jack Schwartz, Shoe Company Inc.
IndustrySporting goods
Founded1993
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
ProductsShoes
ParentJack Schwartz, Shoe Company Inc.
Websitehttp://lugz.com/

History

With the launch of its first boot line, Lugz gained admiration from notable people in the music and entertainment worlds, leading to many unique collaborations.[1][2] One collaboration led Lugz to its first ever celebrity-endorsed, "Funk Master Flex" urban driving shoe.[3] Then, a collaborative line with hip-hop artist, Bryan "Baby" Williams, aka "Birdman" soon followed,[4] in addition to other endorsers including, Snoop Dog, Orange County Choppers, and athletes from UFC and MMA.[5][6]

The popularity of the brand began to grow as radio personality Howard Stern began promoting the brand on his show. Lugz was also appearing in music videos for artists such as B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) and Dr. Dre; Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, NBA Basketball Players, NFL Football Players, and MLB Baseball Players were all supporting the brand by adding them to their street style. In February 2000, Lugz launched their first interactive website where consumers could finally purchase shoes online at Lugz.com.[1]

In 2006, Orange County Choppers, signed on to endorse Lugz which seemed to be a good fit as they were already fans of the shoes. With its aggressive "built for the streets reputation", Lugz collaborated with Paul Teutul Jr. to design a signature Lugz shoe, "The Torx." Also that same year OCC and Lugz collaborated on a custom Lugz chopper. In 2009, the chopper was presented to the Bluff Poker Player of The Year.[7]

In the fall of 2008 Lugz entered the Mixed Martial Arts scene signing its first two MMA fighters, Lyoto Machida and Houston Alexander, as endorsers.[8] Machida captured the title of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion as he represented Lugz. With MMA becoming a fast growing sport/entertainment platform with an increasingly growing fan base, Lugz later signed Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. In 2010, Cain Velasquez became the newest endorser of Lugz. Immediately after signing Cain, he fought to become UFC World Heavyweight Champion, and was the reigning champ in 2013.

In 2014, Lugz celebrated their 10th anniversary of Birdman's signature Lugz by releasing a new Birdman shoe in low and mid-top styles.[9][10]

Lugz notable endorsers

References
  1. Teri Agins Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal (6 June 2003). "Jack Schwartz's 'Driving Shoe' Proves a Hit in Hip-Hop Circles". WSJ.
  2. "About the Brands". ShoeZoo.com Blogs - Brand Names. Bargain Prices.
  3. "Out to Launch". mediapost.com.
  4. "Rapper Sneaker Endorsements". BET.com. 14 March 2013.
  5. Brian Betschart. "Lugz Brings Back the Birdman for 10th Anniversary". SneakerFiles.
  6. "SOHH.com - Birdman's Lugz Lifestyle Collection - "This Low & Mid-Top Collection Is Just For You" - For The Best In Hip-Hop News - SOHH.com". For The Best In Hip-Hop News - SOHH.com. 11 June 2015.
  7. "BLUFF Player of the Year Will Ride in Style with LUGZ Chopper". BLUFF.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  8. "Machida and Alexander in Mainstream Advert". mmapayout.com.
  9. "Controversy Or Not, Birdman Next Move Is Amazing". The Mos Dopest News.
  10. Kyle Rooney (7 October 2014). "Birdman Announces His New Lugz Collection Will Release This Fall". HotNewHipHop.
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