Ewing Athletics is an American basketball shoe brand. Shoe production is done by privately held company GPF Footwear LLC established in 2011. Its headquarters are located in Englewood, NJ.

Early history

Ewing Athletics is retired professional basketball player

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

's signature basketball shoe brand. After Ewing parted ways with adidas, his first shoe endorser, he and his agent

David Falk David B. Falk (born 1950)Araton, Harvey ''The New York Times'', August 14, 1991. Retrieved March 26, 2008.Hirschberg, L"The Big Man Can Deal" ''The New York Times'', November 17, 1996. Retrieved March 26, 2008. is an American sports agent who pr ...

sought to create their own brand. The brand was founded in 1988 with shoe executive of Roberto Muller of Phoenix Integrated, then was sublicensed to Next Sports for them to distribute in 1991. The brand grew rapidly, as it was worn on court by Ewing as he was a perennial

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, and worn in music videos and performances by artists such as

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2 ...

, Kriss Kross and more. The brand's most popular model, the 33 HI was even worn by

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films ''Rag ...

in the movie ''

My Cousin Vinny ''My Cousin Vinny'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, and written by Dale Launer, who also produced with Paul Schiff. The film stars Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill, a ...

'' for most of the film. The brand soon expanded from just basketball shoes into apparel an
full family kids sizes
as well as revenue hit $40M per year in the early to mid 1990s. Soon, however, due to distribution problems with Next Sports, Ewing Athletics filed a lawsuit against them that would effectively close the brand in 1996. Ewing would go on to wear

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

for the rest of his career in the NBA and Ewing Athletics would disappear for over 15 years.

Brand resurgence

Over the years a cult following grew for collectors looking for information about the old Ewing Athletics shoes. In 2012 David Goldberg and his company GPF Footwear LLC partnered up with Ewing and David Falk to reintroduce the brand back into the marketplace, hoping to capitalize on the retro footwear trend, starting with the original 33 HI. The initial launch was in August 2012 with the shoes available at select New York City stores only, with Ewing himself showing up to surprise fans waiting in lines to purchase the shoes. The relaunch was received positively into the fickle sneaker market and the company has gone on to reintroduce other models as well including: Focus, Guard, Center, Wrap, Rogue, Concept and 33 LO. They have produced T-shirts, hats and participated in a special project with New York rappers

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

and

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographed ...

in conjunction with Teaneck, New Jersey based sneaker store Packer Shoes. The NYC launch of the shoes, with the artists present to meet and greet fans, was a big success, with lines around the block and the shoes selling out in two hours. Over the last few years the brand has grown quickly again, reminiscent of its glory days and is now distributed worldwide in over 30 countries.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Sportswear brands Athletic shoe brands Shoe companies of the United States Companies based in New Jersey American companies established in 1988 1988 establishments in New Jersey