During New York Fashion Week this year Kids Rock! adding a high-powered live music performance by 17-year-old Atlantic Records recording artist and The Voice finalist, Jacquie Lee, to the roster. This multi-brand live event and children’s fashion show, presented by Haddad Brands featured celeb kids strutting the catwalk in Spring 15 fashion looks from the Levi’s® brand, Converse, Nike, Jordan, Hurley and Nike SB. The show is a Rookie USA-sponsored event. All proceeds of the event went to Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2” healthy lifestyles.
ABOUT HADDAD BRANDS
Haddad is a privately held family business with over 60 years’ experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the children’s wear industry, Haddad Brands is focused on the most iconic global brands, which include: Nike, Nike SB, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, and Levi’s. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in the design, sourcing, sales & distribution of premium quality children’s wear Haddad distributes globally to over 60 countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, London and Montreal.
ABOUT NIKE + NIKE SB
NIKE, Inc. is the world’s leading innovator in athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry.
Bill Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, who was constantly seeking ways to give his athletes a competitive advantage. He experimented with different track surfaces, re-hydration drinks and – most importantly – innovations in running shoes. But the established footwear manufacturers of the 1950s ignored the ideas he tried to offer them, so Bowerman began cobbling shoes for his runners.
Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland, who enrolled at Oregon in the fall of 1955 and competed for Bowerman’s track program. Upon graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that proposed quality running shoes could be manufactured in Japan that would compete with more established German brands. But his letters to manufacturers in Japan and Asia went unanswered, so Knight took a chance.
He made a cold-call on the Onitsuka Co. in Kobe, Japan, and persuaded the manufacturer of Tiger shoes to make Knight a distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States. When the first set of sample shoes arrived, Knight sent several pairs to Bowerman, hoping to make a sale. Instead, Bowerman stunned Knight by offering to become his partner, and to provide his footwear design ideas to Tiger.
Nike Skateboarding, also known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. In 2002, Nike introduced the “SB” brand. The Nike SB Dunk Low model was released, and consisted of padded tongues and collars and the “Zoom Air” insoles; the shoe was more similar to other skate shoe styles than the corporation’s previous attempts. After the SB Dunk’s mediocre sales, Nike released four other models: The Nike SB Angus, Nike SB FC, Nike SB Delta Force, and Nike SB URL.
In 2004, Nike SB signed Paul Rodriguez as a figurehead for the brand and recruited Lewis Marnell as the sole Australian team rider during the same period. In March of that year, Nike released the Nike Dunk SB collection, aimed towards skateboarders in California. The associated shoe designs differed from the previous SB Dunk range in that they were designed specifically for skateboarding. The collection included increased padding, Zoom Air insoles, and enhanced material quality, including triple stitching, a standard for skate shoes.
Nike’s affiliated brands are Converse, Air Jordan, and Hurley.
ABOUT CONVERSE
Converse is an American lifestyle company with a production output that primarily consists of shoes, lifestyle fashion, and athletic apparel. The company has existed since the early 20th century and has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.
Their Moto: Converse is Sneakers. And Converse is Change. They started on the court and got adopted on the street. They began as a rubber company to make sneakers and boots, and then found basketball and reinvented the sport. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker became the court sneaker; it stood for the game. From there they moved into other sports with new sneaker silhouettes like the Pro Leather, the Star Player, and the Weapon. The Star Chevron showed up and became another Converse symbol. And just when it seemed to be destined for athletes only – something happened.
Converse sneakers showed up in rock clubs, on the streets, on rappers, on icons, on rebels and originals. It became the sneaker of choice for individuals. From All Star to Jack Purcell to CONS, Converse doesn’t confine itself to one style or definition. Be who you want to be in Converse sneakers or clothes. An artist, rebel, rapper, thinker, gamer, skater, smoke jumper, freelance dentist, whatever. If you’re wearing Converse, you know who you are.
ABOUT AIR JORDAN
Air Jordan is a brand of shoes and athletic clothing designed, owned, and produced for Michael Jordan by Nike’s Jordan Brand subsidiary. The shoes informally referred to in the plural as Jordan’s or simply J’s were first produced for Michael Jordan in 1984 and released for public consumption in 2001.
ABOUT LEVI’S BRAND
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since the invention and patent of riveted clothing by Jacob Davis and company founder Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world — capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. And while the patent has long since expired, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.
