Jamie Foxx rocked them in Blue.

Young stars and industry legends dug the new light up shoes:

Justin Bieber went for the Black/Purple Lights. Miranda Lambert and Kate Voegele were going Gold. Smokey Robinson took a liking to Green/Olive.

Traditionally, stars want something they won’t find just anywhere, and they definitely came to the right place! Reviving and updating its legendary LA Tech light ups from the early 90s, the LA Lights dropped December ’09, and have been sold exclusively at Sportie LA stores in Los Angeles and San Diego, and online at sneaker website SportieLA.com/lagear. That’s it. Nowhere else. Until this week.

“We really responded to the vibe in the lounge,” said Isack Fadlon, co-owner of Sportie LA, which partnered with LA Gear brand-owner ACI a little over a year ago to launch LA Gear Originals – featuring updated styles from the Unstoppable line, ’89-’90… and, now, this new line of LA Gear Lights. “It was a great setting and an opportunity to show off the new LA Lights – and to put them on people who are very particular about style.”

The GRAMMYs air live on CBS at 8p.m. (ET/PT)…let’s see who lights up Staples Center tonight!

Rhythmic Gymnastics, a hybrid of acrobatics and classic Russian ballet, was originated in the 1940s and is now one of the official events of the Summer Olympic Games and also the fastest growing sport amongst American teenage females. Each year, the LA School of Gymnastics is host to 500 of the world’s most outstanding athletes and competitors of this sport. The event is the last step on the road to the World Cup in Montreal, which it directly precedes.

“We could not be more proud of these young women,” said LA Gear Director of Specialty Product Lance Jackson. “We’re equally proud that we share a name with this fantastic event, and that it takes place right here in LA.”

The LA Lights went on sale in December 2009, at all Sportie LA stores in Los Angeles and San Diego, and online at sneaker website www.SportieLA.com/lagear.

About LA Gear Lights and LA Gear Originals

On the heels of their successful launch of LA Gear Originals – which featured updated styles from the Unstoppable line, ’89-’90 – LA Gear brand-owner ACI and top Los Angeles indie sneaker store chain Sportie LA released a new line of LA Gear Lights. Reviving and updating its legendary LA Tech light ups from the early 90s, LA Gear is presenting limited quantities of the new sneakers. Mens Lights come in White/Silver, Green/Olive, Black/Purple, and Blue. Womens Lights come in two colors, Red and Gold.

About The Los Angeles School of Gymnastics
The Los Angeles School of Gymnastics

(LASG) is a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization that offers comprehensive gymnastics programs for children and youth of all ages and ability levels. Our organization provides children with a structured, safe and professional environment, with individual attention and training for each child. LASG is a USA National & Olympic Team Training Center and our staff and carefully screened coaches have over 120 years of combined experience. Since 1975, LASG has provided our community with the best all-around gymnastic programs in the community’s largest training centers. LASG is committed to excellence! Our goal is to move minority, low-income, minority, and children with disabilities “off the
sidelines and into the action!”

The first light up shoes were released with LA Gear’s LA Tech line in 1992. The revolutionary

sneakers came with red step-activated LED lights in the heels. Imitators followed, but none matched the success of LA Lights.

“The design on these LA Lights shoes is authentic and true to what it was in 1992,” said LA Gear Director of Specialty Product Lance Jackson. “As with the Unstoppable line, our goal is to honor the history of the brand. We updated colors and materials, while remaining true to these iconic styles.” 

The new Lights will hit the market with fewer than one thousand pairs made per SKU. “We have plans for much wider production and distribution,” Jackson assured fans, “but we decided to do a very limited rollout to make this initial launch a little more special.” 

In creating this new line of light ups, LA Gear drew upon a fresh and diverse mix of materials, including: nubuck, patent leather, leathers with metallic finishes, mesh, and some metallic-looking mesh.

Of the technology utilized in the new LA Lights, Jackson said, “The current lights are positioned in the exact same part of the shoe as the original, but these lights have a much longer battery life – about 7 years if worn daily - and are brighter than the lights used in 1992.” Additionally, where only red lights were used in the earlier versions, colors this time around include blue, yellow, and white, and pink. Jackson pointed to the success of this year’s LA Gear Originals Unstoppable line as a major factor in the relaunch of the Lights. ”We wanted to go chronologically as we expanded the LA Gear Originals line, and consumer enthusiasm has really inspired us to move forward,” he said. Sportie LA co-owner Isack Fadlon concurred. “We get calls daily for the LA Lights,” he said, “and if you follow the chatter on the Web, it’s clear the interest level is extremely high.”

While LA Gear traditionally enjoyed a strong women’s following, sales of the LA Gear

Originals line suggest that both men and women are gravitating towards the styles. “The KAJs, Fire High, and Star Shooter Hi have all sold remarkably well,” said Fadlon, who expects both men and women to respond equally well to the Lights. “We’ve struck the perfect balance between fun and wearability,” he explained. ”Not everyone who buys a unique shoe is a collector. 90% of the people who buy the Lights will want to wear them a lot.”

Ultimately, said Jackson, the light up shoes are synonymous with the brand. ”Many people, when they think of LA Gear back in the day, they think of

LA Lights,” he concluded. ”Some want a chance to
wear these iconic sneakers again, and for others it’s a chance to experience something new. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Following the initial release at Sportie LA’s stores in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, and San Diego, CA, the LA Gear Lights will roll out to EVR in Cincinnati, OH; The Tannery in Cambridge, MA; Shoe Biz in San Francisco, CA; Little’s in Pittsburgh, PA; and Sports Zone, Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, among others.

BUY LA Lights

Pinball machines filled the room with them and disco balls exploited them. Skyscrapers and light houses use them for protection. Our shoes house them in the heel cup. Well, they used to, until now … actually next month. The infamous light up sneaker, the original phenomenon, is back. You are now destined to dance, once again, to the beat of both sound and light. Whether your preference is red, white or blue, you’ll have a choice come this December, as LA Gear re-launches the LA Gear Lights at Sportie LA. Nostalgia aside, these kicks are fresh for many reasons.

The styling, taken from the original line of twenty years ago, has been updated with new materials and colors. Yes, retro, yet modern. Inspired by the past, yet speaking to today’s fashion. A confluence of what was once innocent and simple with what is now influential and relevant. In essence, the balance required for a perfect fit.

This decade has seen many re-issues in the sneaker game; few,

however, may claim the reintroduction of a design that captured the imagination of so many. Clear out the closet, make some room, as the lights are destined to once again, or for the first time for those too young, be in your wardrobe.

You’ve seen glimpses of the new light up shoes from LA Tech, so you may have an idea of what you’re in for. But the fact is that LA Gear has really outdone itself in bringing back these beloved sneakers.

LA Gear enlisted photographer Daniel Giberson to shoot the shoes, and he was kind enough to give us a few to show here.

We also managed to grab a few snaps of Daniel in action.

The shoot was originally set to take place in-store at Sportie LA’s flagship location on Melrose Avenue, but when the crowd proved a little distracting (Fairfax High is right across the street, yo, what did you expect??), Sportie opened up one of its warehouses to the crew.

I’m not sure that shooting sneaker pics is most people’s idea of a fun time, but these are not just any sneakers. Like the updated – and very popular – Unstoppable line, the new LA Gear Lights have a really unusual blend of retro cool and contemporary style.

The mens light ups come in Green or Olive/Yellow, Black, Navy, and White/Silver. The womens light ups will be available in Gold, Silver, and Red.

The LA Lights go on sale mid-December, at a select group of retailers, and online at www.SportieLa.com.

This Saturday evening, the new LA Gear Lights will be on display in Las Vegas, at an intimate, invite-only mixer thrown by the brand LA Gear and top indie retailer Sportie LA.

If you’re in Vegas this weekend, and you’re one of the first fifteen people to reply to the invite above, you and a friend will receive a ticket to the party!

And here’s point: My son, Aryeh, who’s 15, has been a fan of the Unstoppable line since it was relaunched and he’s been bugging me about the Lights ever since then as well. So I snagged a preview pair of the shoes and gave them to Aryeh. He took em out for a trial run on the basketball court, and shot this video of himself dunking while wearing the Lights. When my friends and I were kids, we all knew about LA Gear too – it was a fun brand, and if we could’ve made our own videos to post to YouTube, we would’ve. 20 years later, the brand is back, and having the same impact on a new generation.

The “LA Gear Jam” track playing in the background was contributed by
Head Hunters, who are fans of LA Gear and are official SLAM Feedbackers. Head Hunters is comprised of teen musicians Elvis Kuehn, Max Kuehn, and Djavan Santos, who wrote and performed the track together. Props also to Greg Kuehn at Peligro Music & Sound. It’s good to have the whole Kuehn Clan in our corner!

There’s also a sneak peek gallery that can be viewed on LaGear.com.

Best of all, we’ll be on hand to film and snap the ENTIRE LINE OF UPDATED LA LIGHTS at WSA in Las Vegas next weekend, where LA Gear and Sportie LA are throwing an invite-only sneak peek party.

So we hope to have some great stuff posted in early August!

IF: In the past I believe it was the kids. But now, as we re-introduce the lights, I think we’ll see a lot of “big kids” getting very excited about the shoes they used to rock when they were young.

IF: Yes, indeed.

LAGN: Given the advances in shoe technology since the Lights were originally launched, do
you guys have any new applications in the works?

IF: Yes, we are going to, of course, re-introduce the original look of the lights, but we also have some surprises.

IF: Of course, I do. How could I not?