Founded in 1933, at one time PF Flyers was a household name in the US. It was worn by GIs during the second world war, was the first shoe brand to endorse a professional athlete and was canonised in 90s baseball film The Sandlot.

Previously owned by New Balance, the brand was acquired by Kassia Designs founder Kassia Davis in 2021 and relaunched as a fashion-focused, feminist brand aimed primarily at young women. This fresh approach, and its new rectangular logo in particular, received backlash on social media and sales dropped.

Recognising the need to rethink its strategy, the new owner approached creative agency Bokeh last year to help return the brand to its vintage all-American aesthetic and connect with a new generation of shoppers.

The brand strategy is centred around three key themes: comfort, freedom and fun. As well as reclaiming the original PF acronym’s meaning – Posture Foundation – and reintroducing a circular logo, the brand has also embraced an old motto: Run faster, jump higher.

The brand’s personality is rooted in Gen Z’s well-known nostalgia for the pre-social media era of the 90s, and is inspired by Benny ‘The Jet’ Rodriguez’s character from The Sandlot.

For the rest of the visual identity, Bokeh collaborated with the design studio Trackmeet. Continuing the 90s nostalgia theme, the colour palette is inspired by its bestselling trainers from previous decades, including colours Boston Green, Infield Sand and Off-The-Rim-Red.

Typefaces Avantt, Grenette and Singpainter House Script were chosen for their simplicity, and a library of Americana-themed illustrations pay tribute to PF Flyers’ mid-century origins.

bokeh.agency