Columbus did not have to remain simply a stop on other cities’ release maps. That idea runs through Dionte Johnson’s work with Sole Classics and Kingsrowe: selling footwear, creating apparel and developing a language connected to the place where he lived.
The two names share a history, but they did not begin as synonyms. Understanding the distinction makes it possible to follow their development without erasing important stages of their identities.
An existing shop takes a new direction
A 2014 report in The Lantern records Johnson’s purchase of Sole Classics in 2010, four years after the boutique began. The former Ohio State football player brought his education and interest in fashion into a different field from professional sports.
The purchase matters. Johnson does not need to be described as the original store’s founder for his role to be significant. His contribution appears in the direction he gave the business, including its selection and relationship with the city.
It also challenges a common shortcut in retail histories: imagining that every boutique began with the fully formed identity later associated with it. Here, a change in ownership helped shape that identity.
Kingsrowe and the expression of Columbus
Kingsrowe was Johnson’s apparel label, connected to references from Columbus’s East Side. Early-2010s coverage in Columbus Underground described its separate storefront and relationship with Sole Classics.
Speaking to The Lantern, Johnson explained an ambition to create a recognizable expression of Columbus, comparable in intention to the identities associated with other cities. The point was to begin with his own setting rather than only repeat the visual vocabulary of New York or Los Angeles.
This helps the two activities make sense together. The boutique selected products by other labels, while Kingsrowe offered a way to make original clothing. Retail and authorship could inform each other without being identical practices.
Carmen puts Ohio into a Vans Era
In 2013, Sole Classics collaborated with Vans Vault on the Carmen Era. Contemporary coverage highlighted faded-looking canvas, an orange sole and football-leather detailing, presenting the project as an ode to Ohio.
Those material choices make the reference specific. Rather than only printing a state name on a shoe, the design brought color and texture together with a material recognizable from another part of Johnson’s experience.
The release was announced for both Sole Classics and Kingsrowe, documenting a connection well before the more recent online transition. It is a useful reminder that continuity can sit behind what might otherwise look like a simple change of branding.
Understanding the names now
When checked in October 2026, the Sole Classics website announced a move of its online experience to Kingsrowe while retaining Sole Classics references and physical-store information. That establishes a digital identity transition; it does not establish that every storefront or operation has already been renamed.
Preserving those distinctions makes the history more compelling. Sole Classics and Kingsrowe show a boutique, an apparel label and a creative vision drawing closer over time. For sneaker enthusiasts, the result is a way to see Columbus as a source of ideas rather than only a distribution destination.
Sources and further reading
The Lantern: Dionte Johnson and Sole Classics, 2014
Columbus Underground: Kingsrowe
Vans Vault x Sole Classics Carmen, 2013
Sole Classics: current website and stores
Related store histories
Corporate
Xhibition
For the wider context, explore Sneaker History and Culture: From Rubber Soles to a Global Movement.
