In 1968, Daniel Raufast came across a poster advertising the musical Hair. Interested by all the barefooted youngsters wearing jeans, he developed a new shoe concept which he believed to be more compatible with the blue-jean generation. The designer Jacques Chevallereau then created the first 'jean boot'. This new shoe was very different: the use of nubuck; shapes that looked more like short boots than regular shoes; tough crepe soles made with natural rubber, eyelets, contrast stitching, panels and appliqués all obviously referencing denim. The success was such that, within one season, Kickers production capacity grew from 300 to 12,000 pairs per month. By 1974, Kickers were selling in over 70 countries.
Kickers Kick Hi boot was released in 1975.
It was the late Eighties and early Nineties that Kickers really gained popularity when Kick His were heralded by icons on the Manchester music scene. The Kick Hi then became popular in the rave scene, first with acid house and then later with trance music. Many fans of the shoe came from diverse and contemporary musical backgrounds including UK garage, RnB, pop and hip-hop.
Over the years, Kickers has been associated with the music industry, including Ms Dynamite, So Solid Crew, Jarvis Cocker, Noel Gallagher, Mike Skinner, Arctic Monkeys, Craig David etc.
Ian Brown famously kicked off the trend by wearing a pair of Kickers Kick Hi to The Haçienda as a cheeky retort to the strict 'no trainer policy'. The Stone Roses wore Kickers Kick Hi in their video for 'Fools Gold'. A sheep sported a pair of Kickers Kick Hi on the cover of the 'Stepping Stone' 12 single by The Farm.
Kickers sponsored the Urban Music Awards (UMA) 2007 and had an advertorial with NME which ended in September 2007.
All in all Kickers have definitely the choice shoe of many 'faces' of the music scene over the years.
