An uninvited Kanye West gets escorted out of Skechers HQ in Manhattan Beach, California, on Wednesday, June 12, 2018.
Skechers was founded in 1947 by John R. and Betty Skechers, who were working in a department store in Brooklyn at the time. When they moved to Los Angles in 1948, the couple began to collaborate and eventually came up with their own line of shoes.
The company still manufactures and sells shoe products, but the line they launched in 1947 has largely become synonymous with the term “sneakers.”
But the roots of the company go back further than the 1950’s so it’s not entirely surprising that West’s presence at the event would signal a return to Los Angeles. Still, this was his first visit to the city since he left back in January 2018.
He took a break from his scheduled concert at the Forum, where he gave a speech to the crowd that brought in more than a million people, and arrived in a chauffeur-driven car. The move was not entirely unexpected, as West had previously announced he would skip the show to perform at Staples Center, according to TMZ.
West has been a frequent performer at Skechers events since his early days in the city and even his most recent performance at the Forum was to close out a concert in L.A. that took place in the company’s shadow.
West is known to be a devotee of the brand’s signature “Knickers” sneaker. He has sported the sneakers multiple times in recent months, including at a video interview with E! last week.
“The Skechers brand has been around since 1947 and has only continued to thrive,” West told E! News last May. “It’s been amazing. It’s been awesome. I’ve loved it from A to Z. It is my favorite brand of shoes.”