athletic shoe
Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...
brand for women.
History
Rykä was founded in 1987 by Sheri Poe, who wanted to design a better-fitting athletic shoe for women. The company also produces athletic apparel for women.
Rykä merged with Global Sports in 1997. Global Sports sold its branded division in 1999 to American Sporting Goods Corporation. The company is now owned by
Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
to her shoes, through her creation of the Ryka Rose Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to stop violence against women.
Since 2008,
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Ryan'' in various formats.
As an actress, Ripa's best known roles ...
has been the spokeswoman for Rykä shoes.
The Rykä brand is an example of
foreign branding
Foreign branding is an advertising and marketing term describing the use of foreign or foreign-sounding brand names for companies, products, and services to imply they are of foreign origin. This can also be used for foreign products if the countr ...