LA Gear is an American shoe company based in Los Angeles, California.
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LA Gear was started by Robert Greenberg, Ernest Williams, and Stephen Williams.
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One of the original athletes to endorse LA Gear shoes was NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who ended a long association with Adidas to sign with the upstart company toward the end of his playing career.
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Hakeem Olajuwon was another LA Gear-endorsing basketball player who after being signed stayed with the brand until 1994 when he was contracted by Spalding to endorse a line of basketball shoes with his name and number.
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Unlike other athletic shoe companies of the day, LA Gear was not averse to going outside of sports to find endorsement contracts.
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LA Gear helped set the trend of having non-sports celebrities endorsing athletic brands.
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Discount retailer Caldor began carrying LA Gear shoes designed specifically for the store and its clientele.
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LA Gear launched its kids line of LA Lights at Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker at $50 retail.
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LA Gear was selling over 5 million pairs of Kids "LA Lights" per year in the 1990s despite other brands selling lighted technology in the lower distribution channels.
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LA Tech: In 1992 LA Gear began marketing "Light Gear" CrossRunner shoes with red LED lights in the heels, and once a wearer's heel hit the ground the lights would light up and continue to do so with every step.
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LA Gear went further in 1993 by introducing the Leap Gear line of performance basketball shoes, which would light up when the player would jump off the ground.
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However, in doing so the company was so desperate to sell the remaining inventory that LA Gear shoes began showing up at flea markets, swap meets, and supermarkets.
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In 1994, LA Gear abandoned their men's performance footwear line and began marketing the lifestyle brands for women and children more aggressively.
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In 1995 Wal-Mart and LA Gear signed a three-year contract to design lower-value and specific-to-store shoes for Wal-Mart, but the venture failed as sales for LA Gear shoes at Wal-Mart had declined.
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LA Gear filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1998, in the process greatly reducing the lines of shoes it was selling.
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In 2003, LA Gear again went through a relaunch, this time with an emphasis on men's performance footwear as the Catapult line was reintroduced.
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LA Gear rereleased its Stardust women's fashion line in 2009 and later released a new version of the popular LA Lights.
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LA Gear joined the rocker bottom shoe craze that year by releasing the Walk N Tone sneaker line for women.
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LA Gear released its Hollywood men's sneaker in 2012 alongside the Unstoppable range.
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