 | This article contains promotional content .(August 2023) |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | New York City, U.S. |
| Products | Shoes |
| Parent | Jack Schwartz Shoes, LLC. |
| Website | http://lugz.com/ |
Lugz is a footwear brand owned by Jack Schwartz Shoes, LLC (JSS). The brand was established in October 1993, and quickly rose to prominence in fashion and trend. Lugz is sold in major retailers worldwide and offered in adult's and children's styles. [1]
With the launch of its first boot line, Lugz gained admiration from notable people in the music and entertainment worlds. One collaboration led Lugz to its first ever celebrity-endorsed, "Funk Master Flex" urban driving shoe. [2] Then, a collaborative line with hip-hop artist, Bryan "Baby" Williams, aka "Birdman" soon followed, [3] in addition to other endorsers including, Snoop Dogg, Orange County Choppers, and athletes from UFC and MMA. [4] [5]
The popularity of the brand began to grow as radio personality Howard Stern began promoting the brand on his show. Lugz also appeared 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 some MLB Baseball Players supported 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. 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. [6]
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. [7] 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, UFC World Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez became the newest endorser of Lugz. [8]
Over the last decade the brand has placed a focus on trend right and value driven product. Collaborations like Atelier New Regime, Fool's Gold Records, Urban Outfitters, V-Files, Colm Dillane (Kid Super) [9] , Ghost (Swedish band) [10] , Bazooka (chewing gum) [11] have energized the brand welcoming a new generation [12] of shoppers.