WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- K-SWISS, the brand who introduced the first all-leather tennis shoe, is at the heels of another innovation--FREE RUNNING. FREE RUNNING--the art of moving through your environment using only your body and the surroundings to propel yourself--is a sport without boundaries. It can be practiced anywhere, alone or with a group, and all you need for equipment is the right pair of shoes. K-Swiss is setting a new standard and introducing its first FREE RUNNING shoe, the Ariake.

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To accomplish this goal K-Swiss is partnering with the founding father of FREE RUNNING, Sebastien Foucan. Best known for his role in 'Casino Royale,' he can be seen leaping and bounding with James Bond at the start of the film. Sebastien started practicing FREE RUNNING over 18 years ago and is incredibly passionate about the sport. It allows him to combine the physical and emotional forces of mind, body, and environment. The partnership with K-Swiss will enable him to virally spread the word about his passion and open the doors for K-Swiss to become a global leader and sponsor for the sport. Sebastien Foucan says, 'I am thrilled to collaborate with K-Swiss to inspire others to express themselves through the art of FREE RUNNING. This partnership gives me a platform to educate people about my discipline.' Sebastien will collaborate with K-Swiss on product, print and television advertising, a documentary, and a website about FREE RUNNING.

Jennifer Weiderman, VP of Marketing for K-Swiss, notes, 'Sebastien is the perfect choice as our ambassador for FREE RUNNING. His knowledge, passion, and expertise will help us to be true to the sport.' According to David Nichols, Executive Vice President, 'We are excited about creating great product for the innovative movement of FREE RUNNING and cannot think of anyone better to work with than its pioneer, Sebastien Foucan.'

Over the past year K-Swiss also has been closely working with Mark Toorock, American Parkour founder and leader of the TRIBE, on product development to ensure authenticity and will continue to do so in the future. In addition, K-SWISS has partnered with FREE RUNNING groups in Europe and Asia.

For more information on K-SWISS, FREE RUNNING, PARKOUR, SEBASTIEN FOUCAN, OR ARIAKE, visit http://www.k-swiss.com.

SOURCE K-SWISS