Tag Archives: athletes

Haddad Brands Presents: 2nd Annual Kids Rock! Spring Featuring American Global Brands

During New York Fashion Week this year Kids Rock! adding a high-powered live music performance by 17-year-old Atlantic Records recording artist and The Voice finalist, Jacquie Lee, to the roster. This multi-brand live event and children’s fashion show, presented by Haddad Brands featured celeb kids strutting the catwalk in Spring 15 fashion looks from the Levi’s® brand, Converse, Nike, Jordan, Hurley and Nike SB. The show is a Rookie USA-sponsored event. All proceeds of the event went to Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2” healthy lifestyles.

ABOUT HADDAD BRANDS
Haddad is a privately held family business with over 60 years’ experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the children’s wear industry, Haddad Brands is focused on the most iconic global brands, which include: Nike, Nike SB, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, and Levi’s. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in the design, sourcing, sales & distribution of premium quality children’s wear Haddad distributes globally to over 60 countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, London and Montreal.

ABOUT NIKE + NIKE SB
NIKE, Inc. is the world’s leading innovator in athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry.
Bill Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, who was constantly seeking ways to give his athletes a competitive advantage. He experimented with different track surfaces, re-hydration drinks and – most importantly – innovations in running shoes. But the established footwear manufacturers of the 1950s ignored the ideas he tried to offer them, so Bowerman began cobbling shoes for his runners.
Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland, who enrolled at Oregon in the fall of 1955 and competed for Bowerman’s track program. Upon graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that proposed quality running shoes could be manufactured in Japan that would compete with more established German brands. But his letters to manufacturers in Japan and Asia went unanswered, so Knight took a chance.
He made a cold-call on the Onitsuka Co. in Kobe, Japan, and persuaded the manufacturer of Tiger shoes to make Knight a distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States. When the first set of sample shoes arrived, Knight sent several pairs to Bowerman, hoping to make a sale. Instead, Bowerman stunned Knight by offering to become his partner, and to provide his footwear design ideas to Tiger.
Nike Skateboarding, also known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. In 2002, Nike introduced the “SB” brand. The Nike SB Dunk Low model was released, and consisted of padded tongues and collars and the “Zoom Air” insoles; the shoe was more similar to other skate shoe styles than the corporation’s previous attempts. After the SB Dunk’s mediocre sales, Nike released four other models: The Nike SB Angus, Nike SB FC, Nike SB Delta Force, and Nike SB URL.
In 2004, Nike SB signed Paul Rodriguez as a figurehead for the brand and recruited Lewis Marnell as the sole Australian team rider during the same period. In March of that year, Nike released the Nike Dunk SB collection, aimed towards skateboarders in California. The associated shoe designs differed from the previous SB Dunk range in that they were designed specifically for skateboarding. The collection included increased padding, Zoom Air insoles, and enhanced material quality, including triple stitching, a standard for skate shoes.
Nike’s affiliated brands are Converse, Air Jordan, and Hurley.

ABOUT CONVERSE
Converse is an American lifestyle company with a production output that primarily consists of shoes, lifestyle fashion, and athletic apparel. The company has existed since the early 20th century and has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.
Their Moto: Converse is Sneakers. And Converse is Change. They started on the court and got adopted on the street. They began as a rubber company to make sneakers and boots, and then found basketball and reinvented the sport. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker became the court sneaker; it stood for the game. From there they moved into other sports with new sneaker silhouettes like the Pro Leather, the Star Player, and the Weapon. The Star Chevron showed up and became another Converse symbol. And just when it seemed to be destined for athletes only – something happened.
Converse sneakers showed up in rock clubs, on the streets, on rappers, on icons, on rebels and originals. It became the sneaker of choice for individuals. From All Star to Jack Purcell to CONS, Converse doesn’t confine itself to one style or definition. Be who you want to be in Converse sneakers or clothes. An artist, rebel, rapper, thinker, gamer, skater, smoke jumper, freelance dentist, whatever. If you’re wearing Converse, you know who you are.

ABOUT AIR JORDAN
Air Jordan is a brand of shoes and athletic clothing designed, owned, and produced for Michael Jordan by Nike’s Jordan Brand subsidiary. The shoes informally referred to in the plural as Jordan’s or simply J’s were first produced for Michael Jordan in 1984 and released for public consumption in 2001.

ABOUT LEVI’S BRAND
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since the invention and patent of riveted clothing by Jacob Davis and company founder Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world — capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. And while the patent has long since expired, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.

SOL REPUBLIC co-founder and CMO Seth Combs Headphone presentation at NY Internet week-2014

Founded in 2011, SOL REPUBLIC is a global consumer electronics company dedicated to enhancing people’s lives through better-sounding headphones and accessories. We are music fanatics who develop products from the ground up to make headphones and speakers that look, sound and feel unlike anything else in the market.

Consumer electronics veterans Kevin Lee, Scott Hix and Seth Combs share a vision of ridding the world of hollow-sounding headphones and to make great sound attainable for everyone.

SOL REPUBLIC celebrates the people who make music, love music and are devoted to music. We are committed to creating a community where music fans, athletes and all dreamers are welcome to put a voice to their ideas, share their sound, and be heard.

SOL REPUBLIC headphones and accessories can be found in over 18,000 retail locations throughout 56 countries.

Madison Square Garden Unveils Completely Transformed Arena, 2013

Madison Square Garden unveils a completely transformed arena reopening just in time for the Knicks Pre-Season Game. October 24th, 2013 marked the completion of Madison Square Garden’s three-year, top-to-bottom Transformation, which significantly enhanced every aspect of the historic Arena, from the first row to the last. The completed Transformation, which has been designed to improve the experience of fans, partners, suite holders, athletes and entertainers, was unveiled at a star-studded, standing-room-only press event in the Garden’s re-imagined 7th Avenue entrance, Chase Square.

Featured at the event were New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, The Madison Square Garden Company’s Executive Chairman, Jim Dolan and its President and Chief Executive Officer, Hank Ratner. Also on hand for the unveiling were Knicks legend, Willis Reed and New York Rangers’ great, Mark Messier, among many others.

Madison Square Garden’s self-funded, $1 billion, comprehensive Transformation saw the Garden shut down for three consecutive off-seasons (2011, 2012, 2013,) with construction continuing behind-the-scenes during a full slate of NBA and NHL games, sold-out concerts and other sporting and entertainment events.

The newly transformed Arena boasts new additions such as First-Class food offerings, a “Defining Moments” special exhibit honoring MSG’s unparalleled history, and restoration on the corridors on the entry level of the Arena to replicate the look of the building when the doors first opened 45 years ago. The 1968 North and 1968 South corridors not only replicate the floors, walls, ceiling and lighting of the original Garden, but also feature authentic advertisements and event promotional posters from that commemorative year. New first-class culinary additions include offerings from some of the world’s greatest chefs such as Jean-Georges with Cocina Tacos. Two other restaurants to join The Garden’s unrivaled lineup of food options include La Esquina and Casa Nonna. In homage of Madison Square Garden’s illustrious 134 year history, the remaining 10 “Defining Moments presented by SAP” exhibit will feature special photo displays and memorabilia throughout the Arena that showcase some of the moments that have solidified The Garden’s position as The World’s Most Famous Arena.

An estimate of 2,851 tons of steel was used in the completion of the project. There is a 22% increase in the number of restrooms now available, as well as a 26% increase on concessions offered. The number of suites increased from 89 to 96 and both the Madison and Garden Concourses, as well as the Chase Square have more than doubled in size. Fans will see a return of the 1,000 beloved Blue Seats that were removed in 1990. For the Chase Bridges, 880 steel pieces were used for their erection and a total of 150 yards of concrete was installed. The new state-of-the-art GardenVision, the Arena’s center-hung multimedia display saw an increase from 1,120 square feet to 3,400.

In addition to signaling a new era for the celebrated venue, the Transformation of Madison Square Garden was an important source of union jobs during a difficult time in both the local and national economies. Supported by the Building and Construction Trades Council, the project created 3,700 union construction jobs and required 2.6 million man hours of labor. The project’s architect is Brisbin Brook Beynon, Construction Manager is Turner and Project Manager is JLL.