Kicks Crew Teams With Damian Lillard for First Athlete Partnership
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Kicks Crew is growing its position in the sneaker industry with its first athlete partnership.
The digital sneaker platform, which launched last year, is teaming up with Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard as its first “Crew Athlete.” Lillard is also investing an undisclosed amount into Kicks Crew, marking the athlete’s first tech start-up investment.
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“I see a real opportunity to not only learn something new but make real contributions that will help develop the business — beyond just putting my name on something,” Lillard said about the partnership. “With everything I do, I strive to ensure I’m highly involved and that it is a reflection of my values and priorities. Oftentimes brands seek you out to get everything from you, but nothing actually from you, if that makes sense. Kicks Crew and I are working closely together so that we lay the foundation for a truly long-term relationship.”
The partnership kicked off in August when Kicks Crew and Lillard joined forces to host a surprise giveaway in the athlete’s hometown of Oakland, California. Lillard traveled to Brookfield Park (now known as Bill Patterson Park) in an ice cream truck and gave away sneakers from his own collection, plus other Kicks Crew styles.
“My community has given me so much throughout my life and career and it makes me feel happy to be able to give back to those people that made me who I am today,” he continued. “I feel a sense of accountability to the village that created a solid foundation for my life and was glad to be able to kick off my work with Kicks Crew by bringing my hometown into the fold.”
The partnership between Lillard and Kicks Crew has been six months in the works. The athlete was introduced to the Kicks Crew team through an investor and the company’s mission of making sneaker culture more accessible to the masses resonated with him.
“That conversation happened really naturally — knowing him as a person, understanding his love of sneaker culture and understanding our mission of putting sneaker culture into the hands of more people and being more accessible. Him having a very accessible line of sneakers, just everything made sense to work together,” said Ross Adrian Yip, cofounder and chief operating officer of Kicks Crew. “Most importantly, I think he’s very community first. When we talked, he said let’s bring some brand awareness and how about we go back to my hometown in an ice cream truck and hook up my community.”
Lillard’s role in the partnership entails more community-focused initiatives and advising on product curation. The athlete’s next project with Kicks Crew is working with the company on a curation of sneakers and apparel that’s available through the Kicks Crew app that was launched earlier this year.
Yip explained the partnership will help put the Kicks Crew app at the forefront of the business. The app launched as another way for customers to buy products, but will in the next year be a more community-driven platform where customers can share reviews.
Kicks Crew’s partnership with Lillard comes a few months after the company secured $6 million in series A funding, which was led by Gobi Partners, Pacific Century Group and Complex China. With the investment, Kicks Crew has grown by opening offices in Taiwan, Shanghai and South Korea, as well as growing its team in Los Angeles.
“When we access that global marketplace, what we’re trying to bring to our members is basically a wide selection at the most affordable price that we could make it in the sense that we democratize sneaker culture, which is pretty hype-driven,” Yip said about Kicks Crew’s mission. “I get that everyone likes collaborations and making headlines, but there’s so much product out there and good product that’s only meant for lifestyle or sports. Sometimes other peers of ours focus on the hype or just lifestyle and that alienates a bit of the customer base.”
Yip explained that many of Kicks Crew’s competitors don’t cater to female customers. He stated that 50 percent of the Kicks Crew customer base is comprised of women.
While Kicks Crew is known for its large sneaker assortment, Yip explained that he’s also seen this year interest in apparel grow from one percent to six to seven percent. This interest is something Kicks Crew is looking to develop through its partnership with Lillard, bringing on more apparel brands to its offerings.
Kicks Crew launched last year as an accessible b-to-b-to-c sneaker platform that carries overstock inventory from brands like Adidas, Nike, Jordan, New Balance, Yeezy and others.
