XBlades was established by David Miers, a biomechanist listed with
AFL club
Collingwood in the 1980s. He suffered many knee injuries throughout his career, which he attributed to his
studded boots, leading him to create a rubber-soled shoe with X-shaped 'blades' as an alternative.
Gloucester Rugby signed the company as its new kit supplier in April 2015 for their 2015–2016 season. In January 2016, XBlades was acquired by former
Callaway Golf director Leighton Richards and former AFL player
Jimmy Bartel. XBlades and
Major League Rugby (MLR) announced a multi-year partnership in December 2017. The company signed a four-year deal with the
London Irish starting in the 2017–2018 season. ==See also==