Bata Tennis Shoes are Too Cool for School

This year, Bata celebrates its 120^th anniversary. The brand marks this milestone anniversary with the relaunch of its classic Bata Tennis shoe.

Bata celebrates its 120^th year with the relaunch of the Bata Tennis, a classic canvas tennis shoe with a distinctive rubber toe guard and green piping all around.

The relaunch also sees the release of classic versions in indigo blue with blue piping, and black canvas with white piping. Five new colorways ranging from pastel pink, blue and yellow to earth tones burgundy and brown have also been added to the collection.

When you own a pair of Bata Tennis shoes, you own a bit of the brand’s history. Bata opened its Batanagar factory near Calcutta in 1934 and first manufactured the Bata Tennis shoe in 1936 for Indian school children to wear for their Physical Education classes.

Over the decades, Bata has sold half a billion Bata Tennis shoes in India across all walks of life. The Bata Tennis continues to be made in the Batanagar factory 78 years later.

Charles Pignal, project manager and great-grandson of company founder Tomas Bata, said, “We’ve been using the same Indian last since the 1930s,” and that “it was designed to fit feet across many different regions, and that’s what gives the shoe its unique elongated shape.”

Bata Tennis retails for S$79.95 and is available by reservation-only* at www.batatennis.com.sg from today. First-come-first-served; only 200 pairs available in unisex sizes ranging from UK2 to UK11 in Singapore. Collection and payment can be made at the Bata flagship store, Peninsula Plaza (#01-27, 111 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179098).

The relaunch in Singapore follows the shoe’s successful release at cult status stores including Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London, as well as Luisaviaroma in Florence.

*Reservation of the shoe via the website is valid for three days only.

For more information about the Bata Tennis, visit www.facebook.com/batatennis.