Kickers

Daniel Raufast, the creator of KICKERS, stops in front of a poster for the American musical comedy HAIR, an artistic reflection of a strong movement for freedom. A whole generation full of energy and new aspirations is inventing a new way of life for itself day after day. The watchwords of todays youth in their determination to live their dreams: In this imaginative and creative new wardrobe, a key element is missing that would be to shoes what jeans are to trousers: the symbol of an alternative culture, an expression of originality and a promise of fun. This shoe appeared for the first time in the spring of the same year: it was called KICKERS, based on the word KICK and KER (for the American touch), with an S added to underscore the similarity with the word jeans. Like JEANS, the fashion staple of the rocknroll generation, the KICKERS shoe is solid, practical and comfortable. Like the multicoloured SHIRTS of the Flower Power era, it is lively, fun and colourful. And like nearly everything that fans of the Swinging sixties enjoy wearing, it highlights the simplicity and authenticity of natural raw materials.