Founded in England by brothers Joe and Jeff Foster, Reebok was their way of continuing family tradition. Their grandfather Joseph William Foster founded the company "J.W. Foster" in 1895 and was responsible for one of the first athletic spikes.
The brothers settled on the name Reebok after some disagreement over the name 'Mercury'.
1979
Reebok was noticed by American wholesaler Paul Fireman at the Chicago International Sneaker Trade Show, and under his wing, Reebok was brought to North America.
1982
The Reebok Freestyle is introduced and opens doors for Reebok.
The model was advertised as a women's shoe, designed for aerobics workouts, but it also became popular with men.
1983
The Classic Leather makes it debut, possibly the most iconic Reebok silhouette of all time. Introduced as a running shoe, it also became very popular off the track as a lifestyle shoe.
1986
Reebok takes on its current logo, and begins signing deals with athletes.
1989
Reebok introduces a groundbreaking technology; the Reebok Pump.
Allowing the wearer to adjust the sneaker using an air supply, the technology used inflatable elements in the shoe that can be tightened or loosened at the push of a button.
1995
Reebok introduced the Shaqnosis model in collaboration with well-known basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, which was a sneaker designed for the basketball court. It came with a hypnotic look.
2003
Rapper 50 Cent comes out with his own Reebok sneaker, the G-Unit. In the same year, Jay-Z joins forces with Reebok and comes up with the S. Carter model. The two collabs saw new success for Reebok.
At the time even Nike struggled to compete with Reebok's success.
2005
German sneaker brand adidas acquires Reebok for $3.8 billion, however it resells the brand in 2021 for $2.1 billion to Authentic Brand Group (ABG) after disappointing sales.
Reebok Today
The brand continues to produce their range of beloved models following their acquistion by ABG, and works with big names including Cardi B, Dime, BAPE, JJJound and Kendrick Lamar.
Did you know?
During the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, a nun was spotted wearing a black pair of Reebok sneakers underneath her robe.
Annaliese Brogden, nicknamed the 'Ninja Nun', was rumoured to be a spy working in the secret service! But apparently, she just wanted to wear a pair of comfy shoes during the service.
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