Reebok
The name Reebok is derived from the Afrikaans word "Rhebok", which describes an antelope and symbolizes speed and endurance.
Reebok - From Great Britain to America
The history of Reebok begins as early as 1895 when J.W. Foster began manufacturing running shoes in Bolton, England. For the 1924 Summer Olympics, he equipped all the athletes with competition shoes. Then in 1958, Joe and Jeff, two grandsons of Foster, founded the Reebok brand. American entrepreneur Paul Fireman discovered the brand at a trade show in 1979 and acquired the license for North America. That same year, he introduced Reebok running shoes to the U.S. market, and although they were among the most expensive at the time, they laid the foundation for Reebok's global rise.
Reebok and the aerobics craze
The Freestyle hit the market in 1982 at just the right time. The fitness aerobics wave was sweeping across the U.S. in the '80s, and with the Freestyle, Reebok had the perfect sneaker for women in 1982. However, the Reebok Freestyle was not only in demand as a sports shoe, because of its comfort and design it also became a lifestyle sneaker. As a counterpart, Reebok offered the Ex-O-Fit as a sneaker for men. Both high top sneakers from Reebok became icons of the 80s style and are still produced today under the label Reebok Classic.
Reebok - Pump it Up!
In 1989, Reebok developed the PUMP technology and caused a sensation. The Reebok Pump shoes contain small air chambers, which could be inflated with the help of an integrated pump on the tongue. This made the Reebok sneakers fit better to the wearer's foot and offered better support. Initially, the pump system was installed in high top basketball sneakers from Reebok, but the pump shoes from Reebok were also seen on the tennis court.
Reebok Insta Pump Fury - performance sneaker on a new level
Steven Smith is the designer of the legendary Reebok Insta Pump Fury. Smith, by the way, is still a designer for adidas Yeezy, among others, and also co-designed the legendary New Balance 1500. In 1994, the Reebok Insta Pump Fury was introduced to the public and jaws dropped because the design of the shoe was quite extravagant. The model is a performance running shoe and in the original, it comes in an aggressive neon yellow color. The air chambers are inflated with a gas cartridge and via a valve you can let the air escape again. The model is reissued every now and then as a retro sneaker by Reebok and was provided in the latest version with the Boost technology from adidas.
Reebok Classic - The name says it all
The name Reebok Classic stands not only for the sneaker model of the same name. The brand's line includes all sneaker classics, which include models like Reebok Club C 85, Reebok Aztrek 96 or Reebok Classic Leather.
Reebok x Overkill
In 2018, we had the pleasure of doing our first collaboration with Reebok. The year the Reebok Club C 85 was created was our design inspiration, a trip back in time to (East) Berlin in 1985. In 2019, we then followed up with the "International Foodpack", where we created a sneaker memorial to the iconic Berlin fast food with the Reebok CL Leather "Döner".
