Barney Waters on 60 years of K-Swiss and a four-day celebration during the US Open

In 1966, Swiss brothers Art and Ernie Brunner arrived in Los Angeles, California, to create a footwear brand dedicated to tennis players. This August, their brand, K-Swiss, is throwing a party in New York City during US Open season to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Barney Waters, K-Swiss’ international brand president, is the man leading the celebration. “This is a big milestone for us,” he told FashionUnited. “Staying relevant over the course of decades is no easy feat, so it’s a testament to our team, past and present, our wholesale partners, and our loyal customers over the years.”

From August 27 through 30, a K-Swiss truck will pop up at destinations including Bryant Park, Union Square, Times Square, and Brooklyn, showcasing the brand's latest footwear and apparel, while looking back at archival moments. “We have some great vintage products,” Waters said.

The pop-up experience will feature the shoes that Mark Woodforde wore in 2000 to win Wimbledon as part of the Woodies, the men’s doubles legends, and a game-worn shoe from the Bryan Brothers when they won their 5th US Open and 100th doubles title in 2014. It will also feature tennis shoes from the K-Swiss 7.0 Series from the late 90’s.

The tour through New York City will culminate in an exclusive 60th Anniversary party, taking place during the first week of the US Open, which is scheduled to start on August 23.

From Puma and Palladium to K-Swiss

Of the 60 years K-Swiss has existed, Waters spent 11 with the brand. He first joined the company in May 2013 as its chief marketing officer, later taking the job of chief brand officer in January 2016. He left the company in 2021 to serve as Garrett Leight California Optical’s CEO, and was announced as brand president of K-Swiss in November 2023.

Upon the announcement of his return to K-Swiss, the company praised Waters for his “extensive knowledge and experience in product design and development, brand strategy, marketing, finance, supply chain and distribution.”

In his resume, Waters counts Palladium as one of his greatest achievements. As the brand’s vice president of international marketing from January 2009 to May 2013, he was one of the names responsible for relaunching the brand globally, taking it from a 24 million dollar regional European business to a global brand with 110 million dollars in sales in four years. Waters also worked as vice president of marketing at Puma North America, from 2002 to 2009.

“Heritage ultimately translates to trust”

K-Swiss was acquired by Xtep International, a Chinese sports equipment manufacturer, in 2019, then sold and privatized under KP Global for 151 million dollars in 2024, moving its headquarters to Glendale, California. Throughout the ownership changes, the brand embraced new technologies and silhouettes without stepping too far from what made K-Swiss famous in the first place: high-quality court shoes.

“I think heritage ultimately translates to trust, and to have earned a customer’s trust is a special honor,” Waters said.

Next chapter

At K-Swiss, Waters saw the brand carry its heritage into new markets, going from a tennis-only company to embracing other racquet sports and lifestyle products.

“We’re a tennis specialist, rather than a sports generalist, and tennis is the north star for us. It’s where we innovate, and it’s the credibility we need to be able to also have brand strength in the lifestyle space. It’s a great time to be a tennis brand, and the growth of pickleball and padel has created natural extensions in racquet sports for us,” he said.

For the next chapter, Barney said K-Swiss will accelerate investment and energy around its tennis product line to drive the category forward. The brand also plans to introduce a new tennis apparel range for US wholesale for spring/summer 2027, as well as expand its athlete ambassadorship program.

In 2024, K-Swiss signed a major multi-year partnership with Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev. The brand also has deals with Ekaterina Alexandrova, Tomás Etcheverry and Zhizhen Zhang.

“We’re looking to expand our athlete roster to ensure the best players in the world are wearing K-Swiss on the biggest stages,” Waters said.

K-Swiss 60th anniversary tour

Thursday, August 27:

K-Swiss House | Park Terrace Hotel 18 West 40th Street, New York, NY

Friday, August 28:

Paragon Sports 867 Broadway, New York, NY

Saturday, August 29:

Times Square Pickleball Pop-Up

Sunday, August 30:

TBD