NELSONVILLE, Ohio (June 27) — Premium footwear and clothing manufacturer Rocky Brands Inc. has been licensed Michelin to make and market a line of Michelin-branded outdoor adventure footwear.
Tom Costin, CEO of Michelin Footwear, said Rocky Brands adheres to the core values the Michelin brand represents — comfort, dependability, durability, innovation, performance, quality and safety.
"(These values) are as much a part of producing footwear as tires," Costin said in a prepared statement.
Mike Brooks, chairman and CEO of Nelsonville-based Rocky Brands, called Michelin a "great addition to our powerful portfolio of leading brands."
Rocky Brands will target the new line for the outdoor recreational footwear market, which includes hiking, camping, mountaineering and other activities. It intends to distribute Michelin-branded footwear through its own Lehigh retail channel and other retail accounts it already uses, Brooks said.
Michelin Footwear is a division of Gear Six L.L.C., the firm that holds the worldwide licensing rights for Michelin footwear. It has been distributing a line of safety footwear in the U.S. since 2004.
The value of the contract was not disclosed.