Oklahoma Man Creates Light Up Shoes For Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Kenny Johnson started his light up shoes business three years ago, little did he know the shoes would bring light, in a different way.  

“I wanted to make light up shoes with college teams and logos on them,” said Johnson owner of Lumn8 brand.  

Johnson grew up playing basketball in Bartlesville and spent time on the court for Kansas and Oklahoma State.  

He began the work to figure out how to make the shoes light up and getting the proper patents and licensing.  

“The big companies out there, the Nikes, the Adidas, the Under Armour, already have college deals for on field, whatever they wear, they don’t like to have a lot of competition,” said Johnson.  

He was able to secure licensing with most college, NBA, NFL and MLB teams, but he wanted to do something for his mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was in the eighth grade.  

“She never gave up, and it teaches me still on a daily basis to never give up,” said Johnson.  

He contacted the Susan G Komen Foundation about creating a pink illuminating shoe for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

“So now I have the Susan G Komen illuminating shoe that is generating revenue. Every sale that I make, 75% of the sales go to the Susan G Komen Foundation,” said Johnson.  

He surprised his mother, a 38-year breast cancer survivor, with the shoes that she inspired.  

“You can put the name of the person you’re walking for, this is my mother’s name, Marianne Johnson, and got the logos, and she’s a survivor, so they get to personalize these,” said Johnson.  

As with all of his shoes, they are charged through USB, with 7 different colors and four different blinking patterns.  

“When you light the shoe up and you’re out there walking and if they happen to be in heaven that they can see you down there and say you can see me down here because I have the light up shoes,” said Johnson.  

For Johnson, the purpose for the shoes is a little more personal.  

“If I can do something that could allow some other eighth grade kid to get to spend the rest of his life with his mom and get the support and the love, it means the world to me,” said Johnson.  

For information about lumn8 or to order shoes, visit their website.