Champion 66
This July, 66 years have passed since the foundation of the Czech brand Botas, which has pinned the term “botasky” (Botas shoes) into the Czech vocabulary. For decades it has supplied shoes for the whole of Czechoslovakia – for both professional sportsmen and the public. We would like to praise the history and tradition of Botas in our own way. We would like to present a special new limited edition to the symbolic 66th anniversary, called CHAMPION 66.
Sixty-six and still young
“In the design of the anniversary model we started off with a decent, if somewhat reserved black classic. The contrast stitching is made with rainbow thread, orange details and laces then represent our contribution to the brand – a bit mischievous and funky view of the world today. We accidentally discovered the spool of rainbow thread in the old model shop in Skuteč, which hasn’t been used for some time. This is why it is a small reference to former greatness and fame of the brand,” says designer Jan Kloss. The model is complemented by a special silver imprint of the 66 logo, created directly for this jubilee and a label referring to the years 1949-2015.
Photo: Jan Kloss
The former national enterprise Botana was founded in Skuteč on July 4th, 1949. At first, the company focused on walking shoes. In 1963, the company introduced a new brand, Botas, which focused only on making sports shoes. Its name hides the symbolic Bota + Sport or Bota + Skuteč (bota means shoe in Czech). In 1966, the brand introduced the iconic model Classic, which inspired graphic designers Jan Kloss and Jakub Korouš in creating the concept of the young sublabel BOTAS 66. Formerly a school project, it later gained international success with the professional and general public. Its entry into the market six years ago has revived the traditional brand Botas as its lifestyle sublabel.
The anniversary model CHAMPION 66 is available in the BOTAS 66 store in Žižkov, Prague or in our webstore botas66.com.