District entrepreneur takes light-up sneakers to the national shoe stage

The 20-something businessman formed his own sneaker company, Jezign, to feature a new brand of light-up sneakers.

The sneakers glow when you wear them, running on a 9-volt battery, rather than responding to pressure from your feet or blinking on and off, Marston explained Monday.

Marston thought up the idea about a decade ago and applied for a patent for his sneaker design five years later.

He received it in February 2005 and soon formed Jezign.

A basketball shoe called Night Eagle by Jezign is available at Downtown Locker Room, an urban shoe chain with more than a dozen stores in the D.C. area and in Baltimore.

Next month, Finish Line will begin carrying a casual model, Bubble Cloud, in New York, D.C., Miami, Houston and Los Angeles.

Finish Line is testing out the shoes, which will sell for $150, to see how they sell before releasing them widely, spokeswoman Elise Hasbrook said Monday.

“We are always looking for new and unique products that help ... differentiate ourselves in the mall,” Hasbrook said. “We also liked the fact that the Jezign is different than previous light-up shoes that have been in the marketplace.”

Jezign is also working on a line of running shoes to be released in the fall. Marston is hoping the shoes appeal to a wide range of customers.

“That’s what’s interesting about the concept; we get positive reactions from all sorts of people, whether they be young, old, kids,” Marston said.

The sneakers are already getting some attention; they were worn in the Brooke Hogan music video “About Us” and by R&B singer Lloyd in a recent concert. Former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah and his entire entourage have also worn the shoes in the ring, Marston said.

Marston, an architect by trade with a creative bent, has a dozen patents pending right now; Jezign is his first success.

He is pursuing deals to release the shoes in the Caribbean and Canada.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com