LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 23, 2025--
Skechers welcomes midfielder Roméo Lavia as the latest addition to its global roster of elite-level footballers competing in Skechers Football boots. The Chelsea FC and Belgium National Team star is now dominating the pitch wearing the SKX_2 Elite boot from the new Flair Pack. Lavia will also be featured in the brand’s campaigns supporting Skechers Football footwear and apparel.
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“I’m proud to join Skechers and the lineup of incredible athletes already associated with the brand,” saidRoméo Lavia . “Throughout discussions with Skechers, what became clear is its pursuit to provide the very best solutions and support for athletes, and I could feel this on foot when I wore the SKX_2 for the first time. It’s an exciting time to join Skechers as the company expands in our sport, and I know these boots are going to keep me comfortable on the pitch.”
“SigningRoméo Lavia continues our mission to build a roster that grows from strength to strength, as we deliver comfort that performs on the pitch for every type of athlete,” added David Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer of Skechers. “Roméo is a generational young talent who quickly established himself as one of the most accurate midfielders in the Premier League. We’re looking forward to Skechers Football being a part of his journey this year and beyond.”
A product of the R.S.C. Anderlecht academy, Roméo has since plied his trade in the Premier League, wearing the shirts of Manchester City FC, Southampton FC and his current team, Chelsea FC. During his debut year in the top flight of English football, Roméo proved to be technically gifted and known for his ability with the ball, earning a reputation as one of the division's brightest prospects in the process.
The Skechers Football range offers two Elite models for every type of player and surface including the new Flair Pack. The SKX_2, worn by Roméo Lavia on the pitch, is designed for players who require precision when passing and finishing, with a meticulously designed last to optimize comfort. It also features a resilient Hyper Burst Pro™ insole, a lightweight Skechers Performance Fitknit® upper, and an outsole that has been optimized for multidirectional movements. The Skechers Razor 1.5 is a lightweight speed boot built to maximise acceleration and energy return. It also features a carbon-infused soleplate for responsive power and agility during play.
Roméo joins the likes of Harry Kane, Mohammed Kudus, Anthony Elanga, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Matt O’Riley, Isco Alarcón, Niccolò Pisilli, Leila Oushabi, and more elite athletes as part of the Skechers global roster.
Beyond football, Skechers also offers performance footwear for athletes of all levels, including running, basketball, golf, pickleball and padel globally, as well as cricket in India.
The SKX_2 Elite and the full Skechers Football collection are available now at skechers.com, Skechers retail stores, and selected speciality football retailers. Football fans can discover new product launches and behind-the-scenes content by following @skechersfootball on Instagram and TikTok.
About Skechers U.S.A. Ltd. and Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers U.S.A. Ltd. is the UK and Ireland subsidiary of Skechers U.S.A., Inc., The Comfort Technology Company ® based in Southern California. Skechers designs, develops, and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,300 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500 ® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Chelsea FC midfielder Roméo Lavia signs with Skechers and now competes in Skechers SKX_2 Elite boots.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter Thursday to the U.S. Postal Service, voicing concern that mail processing changes could affect postmark dates for mail-in ballots during an election year that will determine control of Congress.
Updated agency policy says postmarks might not indicate the first day the Postal Service received the mail but rather the day it was handled in one of its processing centers. Those centers are increasingly likely to be further away from certain communities because of recent USPS consolidations, which could further delay postmarks, the 16 senators wrote.
“Postmark delays are especially problematic in states that vote entirely or largely by mail,” they wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner, noting that many states use postmark dates to determine whether a mail ballot can be counted. “These changes will only increase the likelihood of voter disenfranchisement.”
The consequences could be particularly acute in rural areas where mail has to travel farther to reach regional processing centers, they added.
“In theory, a rural voter could submit their ballot in time according to their state law, but due to the changes you are implementing, their legally-cast ballot would not be counted as it sits in a local post office,” they wrote. “As we enter a year with many local and federal elections, the risk of disrupting this vital democratic process demands your attention and action.”
The Postal Service has received the letter and will respond directly to those who sent it, spokesperson Martha Johnson said.
The agency addresses the issue on its website.
“While we are not changing our postmarking practices, we have made adjustments to our transportation operations that will result in some mailpieces not arriving at our originating processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed,” its website says. “This means that the date on the postmarks applied at our processing facilities will not necessarily match the date on which the customer’s mailpiece was collected by a letter carrier or dropped off at a retail location.”
Johnson said the language in the final rule “does not change any existing postal operations or postmarking practices.” She added that the agency looked forward to “clarifying the senators' misunderstanding.”
“Our public filing was made to enhance public understanding of exactly what a postmark represents, its relationship to the date of mailing and when a postmark is applied in the process,” she said.
People dropping off mail at a post office can request that a postmark be applied manually, ensuring the postmark date matches the mailing date, the Postal Service's website says. Manual postmarks are free of charge.
The agency said the “lack of alignment” between the mailing date and postmark date will become more common as it implements its initiative to overhaul processing and transportation networks with an emphasis on regional hubs. The aim of the initiative is to cut costs for the agency, which has grappled with losses in the billions of dollars in recent years.
Under the plan, the Postal Service got rid of twice-daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers. That means mail received after the only transfer truck leaves sits overnight until the next daily transfer, the senators wrote.
Election officials in states that rely heavily on voting by mail expressed concern with the change.
“Not being able to have faith that the Postal Service will mark ballots on the day they are submitted and mail them in a timely manner undermines vote-by-mail voting, in turn undermining California and other elections,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement.
She said her office will “amplify messaging to voters” who use mailed ballots that they must return their ballots early if they plan to use the post office.
Election officials in Washington state, where voting is done almost entirely by mail, are recommending that those who return their ballot within a week of Election Day do so at a drop box or voting center.
“Given the operational and logistical priorities recently set by the USPS, there is no guarantee that ballots returned via mail will be postmarked by the USPS the same day they are mailed,” the secretary of state's office said in a statement.
The senators urged Steiner to restore “timely postmarks” and fully stand up an election mail task force. The lawmakers who signed the letter represented California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland. All are Democrats but one, an independent who typically aligns with the Democratic Party.
FILE - Employees sort vote-by-mail ballots from municipal elections on Election Day at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Office, Nov. 4, 2025, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
