Designer Brands, the Columbus-based parent company of DSW, has acquired canvas shoe brand Keds, furthering its foothold in casual and athleisure footwear.

Acquired from Rockford, Michigan-based footwear manufacturer Wolverine Worldwide, the brand was founded in 1916 as the first mass-marketed canvas-top sneaker.

The acquisition of Keds includes all Keds' products, including its athletic line, Pro-Keds, and its e-commerce business. The move is part of the Designer Brands' owned brands strategy as the company seeks to double sales of its owned brands by 2026.

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"Our growing strength in owned brands is evident, given that just twelve months ago, the athleisure category was a massive white space opportunity for us, and we now control high-quality brands across multiple price points," said Doug Howe, incoming chief executive officer and president of DSW. "Our acquisition of Keds, which has an important presence in the athleisure space, is particularly exciting as it is an iconic brand with broad appeal for our customers and their families that gives us the potential to explore new opportunities both online and internationally."

The company also recently acquired Le Tigre and Topo Athletic brands and is finalizing an agreement to become the exclusive licensee for Wolverine Worldwide's Hush Puppies brand across all channels in the U.S. and Canada, expected to take effect later this year. The agreement could include potential wholesaling of the brand and management of Hush Puppies' direct-to-consumer business.

Last month, the company announced CEO Roger Rawlins would step down in April as part of a long-term succession plan. Howe will succeed Rawlins on April 1.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuanichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DSW's Designer Brands acquires casual and athletic footwear brand Keds