Goodyear is expanding its rubber expertise from tires to footwear.
Skechers and the American tire company are broadening their collaboration to include a full range of performance footwear, the companies announced Wednesday. Previously, the Skechers and Goodyear collaboration included just three running shoe styles in the Skechers GORun collection.
Now, the footwear company will add Goodyear rubber to a wide assortment of running and walking sneakers, with plans to expand to lifestyle, trail and work footwear for men, women and children later this year.
“Through this effort, select products will feature Goodyear performance outsoles, offering that extra edge where it’s needed most—be it enhanced stability on a run, excellent grip over slippery surfaces in the workplace, or durability on the playground for long-lasting wear,” Skechers president Michael Greenberg said in a statement.
Goodyear’s outsoles will improve the durability and longevity of its footwear, Skechers said, improving grip on a range of surfaces and weather conditions due to their “exceptional” traction.
The new outsoles will be produced using Goodyear’s proprietary rubber technology, which leverages a unique polymer manufactured from sustainable soybean oil. The tire and rubber company said this same polymer is currently in use in some of its own top-performing tires in the U.S. and Canada, including in its Assurance WeatherReady, Eagle Exhilarate and Eagle Enforcer All Weather products.
“Goodyear has always worked to create innovative products that provide consumers with high-performance tires, and now we’re using that same ingenuity to enable consumers to wear high-performance shoes,” Christian Jurado, Goodyear’s global director of licensed products, said.
Skechers is part of a growing cast of footwear brands that have turned to rubber tire manufacturers for insight in how to create a better performance outsole. Adidas has maintained a partnership with Continental for years and features its rubber in a number of performance products, including in the new 2020 running lineup.
Last year, Camper and Michelin teamed up to create a pair of one-of-kind sneakers based on the appearance and performance of racing tires.