Reebok
International
Limited is a Fortune
500 company
and producer
of
athletic
footwear,
apparel,
and accessories.
The name
is the South
African
spelling
of the word
rhebok,
a type of
African
antelope
or gazelle.
The company,
founded
in 1958,
was originally
called Mercury
Sports,
but was
renamed
as Reebok
in 1960.
The company's
founders
Joe and
Jeff Foster
found the
name in
a dictionary
won in a
race by
Joe Foster
as a boy.
Ironically
the dictionary
was a South
African
edition,
hence the
spelling.
Reebok is
in the process
of being
acquired
by the German
footwear
giant
Adidas.
Early
History
Reebok early beginnings date back to before 1900, founded
by a young runner Joseph William Foster and his father Joseph B. Foster under a
company called J.W. Foster and Sons Limited (formed 1939) by Joseph Williams'
sons John and James of Bolton, Lancashire, Great Britain. The family-owned
business proudly made the running shoes worn in the 1924 Summer Olympics
by the athletes,
Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire.
In 1958,
two of the
founder's
grandsons
Jeffery
and Joseph
left the
family business
and started
started
a rival
company
that came
to be known
as Reebok.
In 1979,
Paul Fireman,
a partner
in an outdoor
sporting
goods distributorship,
spotted
Reebok shoes
at an international
trade show.
He negotiated
for the
North American
distribution
license
and introduced
three running
shoes in
the
United States
that year.
At $60,
they were
the most
expensive
running
shoes on
the market.
The Company
was sold
to a group
of investors
in 1984,
led by R.
Stephen
Rubin of
Pentland
Industries
and Paul
Fireman,
who established
a holding
company
based in
the UK,
Limelight
Limited,
renamed
Reebok International
Limited
after the
completion
of the sale
By Joseph
Foster.
This company
subsequently
bought the
J.W. Foster(athletic
shoes) limited
company
from Mr
Foster,
to allow
it to use
the Foster
Family history
(post 1939).
Joe Foster
was retained
by Rubin
and Fireman
to run expand
the companies
operations
outside
the USA,
which he
did until
1990.
Freestyle
and Ex-O-Fit
Success
Reebok
surged in
popularity
in 1982
after the
introduction
of the
Freestyle
athletic
shoe,
which was
specifically
designed
for women
and came
out when
the
aerobics
fitness
craze started.
Not only
was the
Reebok Freestyle
popular
as
athletic
wear,
but also
on the streets
as
casual wear
because
of its comfort
and styling.
As a result
the
Reebok Freestyle
became an
icon of
the 1980s
fashion
scene with
hi-top versions
(including
two
velcro
straps at
the top)
and colors
including
white, black,
red, yellow,
and blue.
Reebok continues
to produce
the
Freestyle
to this
day as it
is popular
with
cheerleading,
aerobic
dancing,
the
gym,
and dedicated
consumers.
Following
the heels
of the
Freestyle
success,
Reebok also
introduced
a popular
athletic
shoe
for men,
called the
Ex-O-Fit.
Similar
to the
Freestyle,
it came
in low-top
and hi-top
versions;
however,
unlike the
Freestyle
hi-top with
two
velcro
closure
straps,
the
Ex-O-Fit
only had
one strap.
One of the
designers
of this
early
footwear
was the
founders
son David
Foster.
The
Pump
In the
late 1980s,
the company
introduced
the
Reebok Pump
line, which
used an
air bladder,
inflated
by means
of a small
pump integrated
into the
tongue of
the shoe,
to hold
tightly
to the wearer's
ankle. This
allowed
for more
aggressive
maneuvering
without
injury,
but also
became a
popular
fashion
element.
Around 1993
they introduced
an air transfer
system which
was incorporated
into the
sole of
the trainer.
Human
Rights and
Endorsements
In the past, Reebok had an association with sweatshops, but today it is
firmly committed to human rights. In April 2004, Reebok's footwear division
became the first company to be accredited by the Fair Labor Association. In
2004, Reebok also became a founding member of the Fair Factories Clearinghouse,
a non profit dedicated to improving worker conditions across the apparel
industry. The company holds exclusive rights to manufacture and market both
authentic and replica uniform jerseys and sideline apparel of the teams of the
National Football League since 2002, the National Basketball Association since
2004, the Canadian Football League since 2004, and the National Hockey League
(Reebok acquired The Hockey Company in 2004), and is the official shoe supplier
to the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. Reebok was also a major sponsor of
tennis star Andy Roddick, but ended their 12 year relationship in April 2005.
Reebok continues to be endorsed by Venus Williams.
It maintains its relationship with its origins in England
through a long-term sponsorship deal with Bolton Wanderers, a Premiership
football club. When the team moved to a brand new ground in the late 1990s,
their new home was named the Reebok Stadium. In 2003 Reebok secured a deal with
English Premiership clubs West Ham United and Manchester City. The deal with
Manchester City alone was worth almost 5m over four years. Then in 2005 another Premiership team
Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League, their fifth, whilst wearing Reebok kit.
In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all 8
team strips for the new Australian A-League competition. Reebok also
sponsors
the Grand
Slam-winning
Welsh national
rugby team.
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Other Brands
The company includes such brands as Rockport,
Ralph Lauren
RLX shoes,
Greg Norman apparel, CCM, Koho, Jofa, Reebok hockey equipment and apparel,
Reebok Classic,
G-Unit (G-Unit
Sneakers), and S. Carter street lifestyle
shoes and apparel.
Recent News
In August 2005, one of the company's
largest rivals,
adidas,
announced that it would soon acquire Reebok
for $3.8 billion. The acquisition would
increase adidas'
market share in
North America and allow it to further
compete with the world's biggest maker of
sports apparel,
Nike. The
deal is expected to be completed by the
second quarter of 2006.
- Amaze
- Aztrec
- BB4000
- BB4600
- BB5000
- BB5600
- Californium
- Classic Leather
- Classic Leather BB Mid
- Classic Nylon
- Classic Workout
- Club C
- Court Victory Pump
- Exertion
- Ex-O-Fit
- Freestyle
- Omni Lite Pump
- Pitbull
- Phase 1
- Princess
- The Pump
- Satellite
External links
Official website
Reebok Women's
Reebok Men's
Converse
Fashion Definition
Designer Definition
(from U.S Department of Labor)
Clothing Definitions
Fashion
Accessories
Style
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