« Kikkor Golf: A Giant Lepp for Shoe Kind »

Hardcore golf fans, especially of the Canadian variety, will have heard the name James Lepp. Lepp jumped to prominence on the Canadian golf scene in when he won the Canadian Tour's Greater Vancouver Classic in 2003 as an amateur. Then, in 2005, Lepp won the NCAA Division I title, and then in 2007 repeated his win at the Greater Vancouver Classic, this time as a pro.

James Lepp, Founder, President, designer, Kikkor Golf.

What those not close to Lepp didn't see coming next was a dramatic shift in career direction, from going low on the scoreboard to going low to the ground to launch a new golf shoe company - Kikkor - "whose mission and objective is to be awesomely different".

What can possibly be so different about golf shoes for a young man who has a promising golf career already at his feet?

The Kikkor Circle 3 (click the image to visit the Kikkor gallery)Kikkor is different because there simply isn't a a golf shoe like it in the marketplace today, and awesome because, as Lepp's edgy marketing material states, "it’s the most comfortable and stylin’ footwear brand out there."

The bottom line? Younger players simply don't want to wear the same shoes that Dad wears. Kikkor exists to let you can play comfortably in shoes that match your individual style without sacrificing performance.

Recently Chapeau Noir Golf had a virtual sit down with James Lepp, Founder and President, and designer at Kikkor Golf.

Chapeau Noir Golf (CNG): To kick things off, I'm going to leverage my son, who's 11 and wears his skateboard style shoe absolutely everywhere. He just stuck his head in my office and saw the Kikkor site up on my screen, and his immediate reaction was that of total enthusiasm for the shoe - evidently they're 'sick'. I can honestly say haven't seen him react to any golf shoe that way before, and I tend to have lots of golf shoe pics up on my computer. Is this the reaction you're getting from your demographic?

JL: Sick, Sweet, Dope, and many other adjectives, yes. There hasn’t been a shoe out there like it, so we definitely get lots of strong reaction.

CNG: Speaking of demographics, I suppose I'm either on the very edge or out of your target market - I'm 41 - but my son still thinks I'm alright, for now. Obviously an 11 year-old still relies on Pops here to buy him things (ie, Kikkors), so he's the lower threshold of your target market. What's the top end, or should you even put a limit on it?

JL: Well we’re not going to stop anybody from buying Kikkors, however, if somebody over the age of 40 is seen wearing them, there is a reward to rip them off his feet. If you’re a “young” 41 I guess we could let it slide.

CNG:  At what point did you see the Kikkor opportunity? Was it something you've had in the back of you brain for a while that just needed to get out?

JL: Growing up I always wondered why there wasn’t a skate style golf shoe. Finally, last year when I really started thinking about ideas, I decided that if nobody else is going to do it, I would.

CNG: Where did the Kikkor name come from?

JL: The origins of the name Kikkor are simple. One, the name for any jump in the action sports world is “kicker.” And secondly, people call their shoes “kicks.” Add a unique spelling, and boom goes the dynamite, Kikkor.


A new attitude is evident at Kikkor Golf.

CNG: The other night on Big Break Disney I notice that Mike Perez, brother of PGA Tour winner Pat, wears DC apparel, and looked like he was wearing some sort of DC footwear. Ryan Moore is another one... a younger guy with a progressive style (with no apparel deal of which to speak). Visible guys like these are signaling a break from the traditional apparel and golf shoe offerings. How excited does seeing that sort of thing make you? It certainly must validate the direction you're heading!

JL: Yeah, there is definitely that trend going on. Clothing has already seen major changes over the last 5 years and I think footwear is finally following suit. Guys want to wear what suits them and be comfortable while doing it. The days of classic saddle golf shoes are fading.

CNG: On the playing front, you won the NCAA Div I individual title in 2005 while attending University of Washington. You won on the Canadian Tour as an amateur - The Greater Vancouver Classic in 2003. Then, after you turned pro, you won it again in 2007. Then comes 2009, a year where you've scaled your playing sked way back to focus on Kikkor golf. (Lepp recorded just two results in 2009, both on the Canadian Tour - one a missed cut at the Times Colonist Open and then T3 at the City of Surrey Invitational.) Did you need a break from competitive golf, or was the passion for Kikkor just that strong, or was it a combination of both?

JL: Really my passion for golf has weakened over the last 5 years until finally I didn’t really want to play at all. It’s not as if Kikkor has taken me away from the game…it’s more that my actual golf game has taken me away from the game. It’s been frustrating. Even though I can still muster up some decent results out there, I just don’t possess the same confidence that I had earlier in my amateur career. Kikkor is conveniently there right now to give me something to work towards.

CNG: Do you see yourself rededicating yourself to golf in the near and / or distant future?

JL: It’s really tough to say what my golf outlook is, but I’m absolutely open to anything. I think I’ll find myself playing somewhere some day.

CNG: Based on what I read and see on kikkor.com, the shoes incorporate all of the golf-specific features that a player would look for. You have obviously spent a lot of time, energy (and probably money) making sure your shoe was getting everything right from both a design and performance perspective. How excited are you to be on the cusp of shipping and selling the actual product?

JL: It sort of feels like I’m about to start a golf tournament. I feel good about my game and hope to do well, but at the same time, I don’t want to screw up and miss the cut. Right now, Kikkor is looking great, so I’m totally excited about the actual launching of it, and at the same time, I’m nervous; I’ve never done something like this before so the outcome is somewhat unknown. However, I’m constantly being reaffirmed that the timing and style of Kikkor is right.

CNG: Looks like that Business degree is serving you well. When can we start filling our shopping carts up with Kikkor gear?

JL: Tentatively, March 15, 2010!

While Chapeau Noir himself may be just on the outer edge of the demographic, he's keen to give Kikkor's a test drive. If they are as comfortable as Lepp says they are, then they will definitely find a place my shoe rota.

That is, until my son gets his hands on 'em. Visit the Kikkor gallery.