On September 2, French heritage sportswear brand K-Way dropped a capsule collection developed exclusively for German e-tailer Zalando, available on 25 European markets. It is an opportunity for K-Way’s owner, Italian group BasicNet, whose portfolio includes among others Kappa, Superga, and Sebago, to tap new consumer categories.

The collection consists of 23 unisex items, and features trousers with pockets, sleeved and sleeveless down jackets, quilted gilets, sweatshirts and sweaters, as well as bucket hats, bum bags and wallets. The items are priced between €35 and €300, and the colour palette includes pastel yellow, sky blue and dark blue. 

“If we’d been asked for a collection in black, white and grey, we would have refused, because we must remain true to our brand’s DNA, and colour is in its DNA,” said Lorenzo Boglione, managing director of K-Way and vice-president of BasicNet. “This is why this collection’s theme is water. In France, K-Way has become synonymous with rainwear, and we still see people wearing K-Way [jackets] from 20 or 30 years ago,” he added. 

A heritage that Zalando is well aware of. “K-Way is undoubtedly a powerful brand, but above all it’s a well-loved brand,” said Laura Toledano, managing director France at Zalando. “These garments embody both contemporary tastes and K-Way’s brand and performance identity. This is why the collaboration between our two brands has been extremely positive, as we’re both keen to develop enduring products.”

K-Way currently operates 95 monobrand stores worldwide, of which 62 in France. The collaboration with Zalando is the logical upshot of the fact that all BasicNet brands are available on the e-tailer’s site. “They have a very large customer base, and a very diverse mix of consumers. They’re selling plenty of our products to people to whom we aren’t selling ourselves,” said Boglione.

K-Way was founded in 1965 by Léon-Claude Duhamel, and was acquired by BasicNet 20 years ago. The Turin-based group, created in the wake of the success of sportswear brand Kappa, was then searching for heritage brands to buy, and is still on the hunt.

“We aren’t exactly looking for these brands, but we are searching for opportunities. With caution, because not all brands achieve heritage status,” said Boglione to FashionNetwork.com. The group doesn’t disclose the brand’s financial results, but Boglione said that “K-Way has made very good progress in the last four to five years, and it now has an important position within the group, which is why we’re investing heavily in it.”

In early 2024, K-Way dropped a collaboration with Agnès b., and in March it launched another joint effort with a Parisian label, Maison Kitsuné, which redesigned some of the brand’s signature waterproof zipped windbreakers.