PB5star’s new Cosmic shoe for racquet sports enthusiasts bridges the gap between a performance sneaker and an everyday casual shoe.

While the brand is best known as a performance-driven shoe and apparel brand for pickleball, its shoes are worn by tennis and padel athletes too. The company was founded by Chris Gallagher, who is also the firm’s CEO. He was a co-founder of Vionic, the innovative science-focused women’s footwear brand that combined biomechanics and foot health. Vionic was acquired by Caleres in October 2018.

PB5star is the beneficiary of Gallager’s 30 years of biomechanical footwear expertise. The new Cosmic shoe is meant to be a sports-casual sneaker that’s provides stability when on the court and a high level of comfort when walking on the street.

The shoe features Nebulon super-critical foam core technology, an “advanced material that provides exceptional shock absorption, responsive rebound and flexibility, all in premium buttery-soft leather,” the company said. The Cosmic also features a cushioned footbed that has anatomical contouring, while the internal support also includes a deep heel seat. And the leather upper also incorporates a padded collar and brushed interior linings.

“We’ve leveraged 30 years of biomechanical expertise to engineer a shoe that performs at the highest level, then we wrapped it in an easygoing lifestyle upper meant to blend into real life, clean, understated and ready for whatever comes before or after a rally, day to night,” Gallagher said.

Because PB5star customers are living lives on and off the court, the new shoe gives then a footwear options that “keeps up with everything, without sacrificing performance or style,” the brand’s founder said.

The brand also has pickleball apparel to complement its shoe options. Shoe sizes for the Cosmic for men range from 7 to 13, while the size range for women is from 5 to 10. The shoe’s retail price is $129. The brand is sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Basement, RoadRunner, Nordstrom, Dillards and pro shops. The company said it works closely with some of the top pickleball players, including Hannah Blatt and Adriana Tomazelli.

As racquet sports such as pickleball and padel continue to gain in popularity, other brands have also been looking to grab market share.

This year, Italian shoe brand P448 added a new court shoe created in partnership with Vibram. And more recently, Made Plus added the new Bangr Pro, its next generation, competition-ready pickleball shoe.