Keds (shoes)

Keds (shoes)

Keds is an American brand of canvas shoe with rubber soles, introduced in 1916 by U.S. Rubber (later known as Uniroyal, then Uniroyal Goodrich, and finally acquired by Michelin), later acquired by Stride Rite Corporation, and currently owned by Wolverine World Wide.

When choosing a name, the initial choice was Peds, from the Latin meaning foot, but that name was already a trademark. Keds were first mass-marketed as canvas-top "sneakers" in 1960. They became known as sneakers because the rubber soles allowed sneaking around silently.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Keds added to its range of casual shoes a line of athletic shoes called Pro-Keds for more serious use, specifically for basketball. Keds have been used by many athletes.In countries like India, Keds has been transformed into a generic brand and until recently any athletic shoe was customarily called a Keds. Keds are a staple at physical training classes in the school curriculum, and usually the students are needed to compulsorily wear the basic white Keds for their classes.