Kane Footwear Sees Explosive Growth as Recovery Shoe Market Booms
Created to give athletes something better than slides to wear after games and practices, Kane shoes are on their way to becoming a cultural force
Kane Footwear is on a roll. Makers of a highly popular active-recovery shoe, the brand has seen its revenue triple year-over-year since its founding in 2021, striking deals with retail giants including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Nordstrom and Scheels.
More than that, Kane has successfully inserted itself into the athletic-footwear zeitgeist, its shoes being spotted everywhere from NFL and NBA locker rooms to the feet of celebrities like Drake to Moms and Dads across the country as word of mouth spreads.
There’s a good chance you’ve seen Kane’s somewhere, whether in person or on social media, even if you couldn’t quite identify the brand behind the unique footwear silhouette. Kane’s flagship product, the Kane Revive, is an active-recovery shoe featuring a two-piece mold, proprietary foam technology and holes on the upper section for breathability.
Kane’s early success comes as the global recovery footwear market is projected to reach $26.7 billion by 2033, up from around $11.2 billion in 2023, likely driven by increased consumer demand for wellness options. Kane is poised to be one of the major forces driving that growth over the next decade.
John Gagliardi founded Kane to give athletes a better postgame (or post-practice) footwear option than slides, which have traditionally dominated the market.
“I see our shoes as almost like another piece of equipment for athletes or fitness enthusiasts to wear after performing,” Gagliardi, a former pro lacrosse player who previously co-founded sports equipment company Maverik Lacrosse, tells Athletech News. “I saw the other (recovery) products that were out there, and I just thought we could improve on them.”
Inside an ‘Active Recovery’ Shoe
To create a truly effective active-recovery shoe for athletes, Gagliardi sought expert guidance. He enlisted the help of Dr. Daniel Geller, a sports podiatrist and foot/ankle surgeon based in New York City who informed the design of the Kane Revives.
Dr. Geller, who serves as Kane’s chief medical officer, tells ATN that the Revives feature a wide base along with a dual-density cushion system that’s designed to provide firmness in the parts of the foot where you need it and softness in other areas.
“This combo allows you to feel supported through the sole and arch of the foot, while also allowing you to feel protected from the ground reaction forces, providing an extremely smooth heel-to-toe gait cycle,” Dr. Geller explains.
The Revives also feature RestoreFoam technology, a proprietary blend designed to provide an adequate cushion without being too soft. Additional features include a 10-millimeter heel-to-toe drop, tiny nodes inserted into the soles of the shoes to help stimulate blood flow, and holes on the upper for breathability.
From the Locker Room to Everyday
The Revive’s features caught the eyes of professional strength and conditioning coaches across the country, who agreed with Gagliardi’s assessment that athletes were in need of a better postgame footwear option than slides.
“We pretty much launched at a fitness event,” Gagliardi recalls of Kane’s early days. “Then we got some calls from strength trainers and equipment managers in the NFL, and then the NBA, who said, ‘Can you send me a couple? I’d like to buy these for my team.’”
Keen-eyed viewers of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series might have seen Kane shoes pop up on their screens during locker-room scenes featuring the Chicago Bears or Detroit Lions, with players on both teams sporting Revives.
Gagliardi is quick to note the organic nature of Kane’s early growth, with NFL and NBA coaches approaching him, not the other way around.
“We didn’t have any contacts in these organizations,” he says. “And they buy them for their teams and organizations. We don’t give anyone (free) shoes.”
Beyond the science, Kanes have a distinct and appealing look that has captured the attention of social media stars, athletes and everyday consumers.
Today, Kane has partnerships with sports and fitness influencers including Matt Choi and Eric Hinman. The brand also has licensing deals with at least 24 college sports programs on co-branded shoes, including football juggernauts like Alabama, Clemson and Georgia.
Kane is also active in the name, image and likeness (NIL) space in college sports, striking a sponsorship deal with Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III, who is projected to be a top NFL draft pick next year.
But it’s more than just elite athletes who wear Kane shoes – Revives can be found on the feet of everyone from high school students to their parents to run club enthusiasts.
“It’s definitely evolved out of the locker room and out of the gym bag to everyday, ordinary use,” Gagliardi says. “It was built for the top sports athlete, but it also translates down to everyday weekend warriors and people just being active on their feet, going to the market, walking your dog and going to the beach.”
What’s Next for Kane?
As it eyes more growth, Kane will look to enter new retail channels beyond its current relationships with stores like Dick’s and Nordstrom.
“We want to be an omnichannel brand,” Gagliardi says, although he notes that Kane is very strategic about where it chooses to sell shoes.
“We’ve said ‘no’ more than ‘yes,’ Gagliardi notes. “We just want to grow properly and at the right pace.”
For Kane, part of growing properly means focusing on quality and sustainability.
A certified B corporation, Kane makes its Revive shoes from Brazilian sugarcane, a material that the brand says is better for the environment than traditional components since it’s regenerative and draws down CO2.
“We try to do things the right way,” Gagliardi says. “We could have made this in Asia for about a quarter of the price, but we make it in Brazil from a top manufacturer using sugar cane, a renewable material. Not everything’s about how much money we can make; it’s about creating a great product.”
Still, Kane doesn’t play up the sustainability factor too much in its marketing, instead choosing to focus on the quality of its active-recovery shoes.
Asked to identify the key factor that’s allowed Kane to grow so fast since its creation just three years ago, Gagliardi points to word-of-mouth. That, he says, is more important than marketing schemes, influencer campaigns or high-minded statements about Kane’s commitment to the environment.
“We developed the right product from the start,” he says. “People like it, so they tell their friends, and they buy multiple pairs. I think that’s the gist of it.”