Kawasaki Shoes

The Japanese-named

Danish Badminton Shoes

This is the story of the ex-communist shoe,

“reinvented” by a Danish company and marketed to the largest shoe success ever in Denmark.

Now, after decades, the Kawasaki shoe is revived from the same Czech factory and the same old employees.

Again, with Danish ownership.

Again, burning the market.

In spite of the Japanese name, the Kawasaki shoes are a Danish phenomenon.

Better said, the most sold shoe model in the history of Denmark.

The history started in 1972, when the newly founded company J. Hammergaard Hansen Sport A/S was looking for a shoe, which was suitable for badminton.

BADMINTON SHOES?

Until the middle of the 60’s the badminton players used ordinary sneakers/tennis shoes. At that time the badminton champions such as Erland Kops started to play in volleyball shoes from the Japanese Onitsuka Tiger.

Factories in Hong Kong very fast copied the expensive Japanese shoes (Hong Kong was then the place, in which the reduced-rate shoes were manufactured).

The qualities of the Hong Kong shoes could most typically not resist badminton and the amount in percentage for complaints was two-figured.

The demand for special shoes for badminton was then accelerating.

Badminton players were requiring some specific features:

“shoes should be light, be felt like gloves on the feet, have a good ‘grip’ to the different types of floor in the courts. And even more, the shoes should be able to resist the many and violent staccato moves of the badminton players”.

All badminton suppliers were, therefore, on the hunt for the perfect badminton shoe – durable, light and price competitive.

Here comes J. Hammergaard Hansen Sport A/S, year 1972.

THE DISCOVERY

Hammergaard Hansen Sport found a dull “communist” shoe at the Czech Exico stand at the ISPO fair in Germany.

The shoe had an interesting composition of sole and edge reinforcement, and the sole was at the same time suitably non-skid without being “sticky”. The find of this shoe initiated a development, which a few years later was the beginning of a little adventure, which grew and grew concurrently with the continued development of the Kawasaki shoe at the old factories of Bata in Gotwalddorf in Czechoslovakia.

KAWASAKI, THE “HIGH-PERFORMANCE” ECOLOGICAL SHOES

In the old premises 120 million pairs of shoes were manufactured annually, all of which were manufactured according to ancient production methods – it was, however, these production methods that were brilliant in relation to strong and durable sneakers. Almost all European and Asian factories cold vulcanised (glued) the so-called sneakers, but in Czechoslovakia they continued hot vulcanisation that means rubber sole, edging and front enforcement were “hot moulded” as a unity of the upper part. Due to the heat this production method could only be used in connection with non-inflammable materials.

Due to this, the shoes are exclusively made of natural products – rubber – cotton and suède – added heat and the Kawasaki name.

The Kawasaki could rightfully be asserted to be “ecological”

The first year – 1973 – 7,000 pairs of the badminton shoe, Kawasaki, were sold and in the years thereafter, the sales steadily increased to approx. 50,000 pairs annually by the end of the 70’s. Badminton players loved them.

80s, BADMINTON SHOES GOT FASHIONED

The 80’s were the decade, in which all girls fell in love with the white disco shoes from Kawasaki and sales passed their peak in 1985 with more than 250,000 sold pairs.

1985 was also the year, in which Kawasaki shoes in all the colours of the rainbow gained ground together with the boot model “BZ”. These were the years, in which any model in Denmark would have at least one pair of Kawasaki in the wardrobe.

The sales figures were impressing. Among the essential reasons were of course the fit, lightness and durability. The rate of complaints was impressing, too – it was below 1 per thousand and more than half of these complaints was not legitimate. Sales efforts were poor – the customers wanted the shoe and knew which size fitted, which is why nobody wanted to fit the shoes.

THE HISTORICAL CZECHOSLOVAKIA SPLIT

Concurrently with the fall of the Iron Curtain, the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and numerous changes including the closedown of Nordvesta (the original Bata factory), the trade became extremely difficult during the 90’s.

THE REPRISE

In 2004, after something like 20 years, the Kawasaki’s are really on the way back to the market.

Bo Stanley took in 2003 over the rights to Kawasaki in Denmark after the closedown of J. Hammergaard Hansen Sport A/S and has in co-operation with Aceline ApS and Tom Christensen bought the old moulds, machinery and production rights.

The production continues in Zlin (formerly Gottwalddorf) in the Czech Republic, where the production and co-operation have been established on a factory nearby. The conditions are close to being optimal, the city abounds in qualified working power and more of the employees have experiences from the former production of Kawasaki.

The times of delivery are short and the shoes can be delivered in multiple colours – black and white are dominating.

Nowadays, Kawasaki are burning Scandinavian markets (Denmark, Sweden, Norway).

Sales are crazy, offer still follows the huge quantities in demand.