The History & Future of Reebok

Reebok is a classic shoe and sportswear brand that keeps evolving and elevating its styles. Each of its shoes goes through rigorous stability and endurance testing, which makes it a go-to brand for athletes. However, this highly recognized sportswear brand didn’t gain all of its notoriety in a day. Read on to learn all about the history and future of the Reebok brand.

Joseph William Foster started the brand in the 1890s in Bolton, UK. At the time, Foster was learning about shoemaking from his grandfather. He named the original company J.W Foster. Later, his two sons became actively involved in the family business, prompting them to change the company name to J.W Foster & Sons. 

Between 1905 and 1906, Foster experimented with different shoe designs. He finally settled on “Foster’s Running Pumps,” which were leather running shoes specifically designed for athletes and runners. The spikes on the soles gripped the ground to enhance athletic performance. These shoes quickly became one of the preferred footwear choices for many professional athletes. In fact, in 1924, Harold Abrahams wore the J.W Foster & Sons running shoes and won a gold medal at the Paris Summer Olympics Games. Throughout the 1930s, these running pumps continued to gain popularity across Britain among top-level athletes participating in the Olympics.

In 1958, Foster’s sons returned from the national service. They noticed the footwear brand was beating out its competitors but felt the brand was still operating in a bygone era. At the same time, other family members involved in the company were at war with each other. As a result, Jeff Foster and Joseph Foster decided to move to Bury, Lancashire, to start their own shoe company.

The new footwear company started by Joseph Foster and Jeff Foster was initially called Mercury Sports Footwear. However, they realized they needed to change the name to truly become a global player. They stumbled upon the word “rhebok” in the South African dictionary, which described a gazelle or antelope. In 1958, the two brothers decided to change their company’s name to Reebok.

Reebok’s logo has also undergone various changes over the years. Originally, the logo was designed to portray the company’s humble beginnings, featuring the name alongside the Union Jack flag. Reebok then unveiled the second emblem in 1986, mainly referred to as “the vector,” which symbolized the new era of the performance product.

Several iterations of the vector logo with and without the name “Reebok” alongside it appeared throughout the late ’90s through the early 2000s. Then, in 2006, in an effort to appeal to a younger audience, Reebok changed their logo to simply “Rbk.”

Despite the huge success that came after changing the logo to “Rbk,” the company changed it back to “Reebok” in 2008 to recapture the classic and timeless history of the brand. This logo still remains today, and it features a modern yet simple font that complements the brand’s values and identity. 

In 1982, the Reebok Freestyle came out as a women’s shoes for aerobics. The company also came up with the Reebok Ex-O-Fit, as fitness, health, and wellness swept through the country in the early ’80s. In 1983, Reebok made record net sales of about $12.8 million. 

In 1985, the company had its first IPO listing of 4 million shares at $17 and an extra 2.2 million at $49 each. As the company penetrated other sports, the basketball-inspired Reebok BB4600 was a huge success in 1986. Other Reebok shoes that hit the headlines in the ’80s were the Classic Leather and Reebok The Pump. In fact, the company’s shoe sales in the U.S. took the number one market share spot. Reebok also acquired Avia in 1987 and made net sales of over $1.39 billion in the same year.

In the ’90s, basketball found greater influence, and the Reebok Blacktop Battlegroup Pump became a preferred sneaker by many players. Reebok Answer IV was also popular in the NBA as Allen Iverson had his best professional season while wearing the shoe. The Reebok Ventilator also made its name among runners due to its modern-day style and culture.

Some of the most iconic Reebok sneakers include:

Reebok continued to produce running shoes but quickly realized it had to grow into other markets, including the United States. In 1979, American-businessman Paul Fireman spotted the brand at a Chicago sneaker trade show and liked the quality and customization. Fireman negotiated a licensing and distribution deal that helped introduce the company in the U.S. under Reebok USA Ltd. This was a significant turning point in Reebok’s history as their sales reached $1.5 million in 1981, despite being the most expensive running shoe on the market.

In 2001, Reebok signed big partnership deals with the NBA and NFL, becoming the official league sponsor to curb the rising competition. The company also saw huge success through collaborations. For example, the brand collaborated with the rap music artist Jay-Z and released the S-carter collection in 2003. Reebok also teamed up with 50 Cent in an ad campaign called the G-Unit Collection by Rbk. 

In 2006, adidas acquired Reebok in a deal worth about $3.8 billion, but they kept the original company name.

In 2021, adidas announced that it had agreed to sell the brand to Authentic Brands Group in a deal worth about $2.5 billion. Under ABG, the goal is to have the brand’s retail sales exceed $5 billion in 2022 and hit $10 billion in the subsequent five years. There are also plans to get into apparel and footwear designs and grow the brand’s digital designs.

In addition to creating innovative shoes for both casual fans to professional athletes, the Reebok brand also produces popular jackets, backpacks, loungewear, sweatshirts, and more. Shop Reebok at Finish Line today!