If I’m going to be completely honest, I never thought that Reebok could make a return to the forefront of streetwear.
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, a clean pair of Reeboks was a staple in the wardrobe of most of the people I knew. My dad would always force me to get a pair of Reeboks for the school year and I hated it. Back then I would always want a pair of Nikes, or better yet a pair of Air Jordans, and not much has changed. Although my collection includes about 3 pairs of Reeboks right now (out of about 120), the vast majority are Nikes. Although most people who collect sneakers probably have a similar ratio of sneaker brands in their collection, Reebok may be coming back with a vengeance.
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Swizz Beatz took the reigns as creative director of Reebok in 2001 and since then, he has bridged partnerships with some of the biggest musicians in hip-hop today. Rick Ross has become an ambassador to the brand and Tyga even released his own pair of original Reebok sneakers.
Last week, Reebok re-released the Sean Kemp Kamikaze II and it sold out in a record 7 minutes! Before the release, Jay-Z was seen wearing a pair and a week later, Rihanna was sporting a pair in a different colorway. The recent interest in Reebok leads me to question whether or not people have been feeding into their own nostalgia, or has Reebok actually been regaining the respect of the average sneaker connoisseur?
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Sure, in the early 2000s, Pharrell and Jay-Z had good runs with Reebok but even then, nothing would sell out as fast as it does today. I honestly think these big releases could assist with sales of the average Reebok pieces, but I am not confident enough to believe the sales will steadily increase without them.
The real question is whether there are enough big releases to sustain an entire brand. Only time will tell, but I’m pretty sure that Reebok is back!
-Jason Brooks
