Reebok

Reebok International Limited

Type	Subsidiary of Adidas AG[1]
Founded	1895, Bolton, England
Headquarters	Canton, Massachusetts, USA
Industry	Sportswear and Sports Goods
Products	Footwear Accessories Sportswear
Website	http://www.reebok.com

Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of German sportswear giant Adidas, is a producer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. The company, founded in Bolton, England in 1895, was originally called J.W. Foster and Sons but was renamed Reebok in 1958. The company's founders, Joe and Jeff Foster, found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was a South African edition, hence the spelling.

Contents 1 Freestyle and Ex-O-Fit success 2 Human rights and production details 3 Endorsements 3.1 Cricket teams with kits manufactured by Reebok 3.1.1 Asia 3.2 Football clubs/leagues with kits manufactured by Reebok 3.2.1 Europe 3.2.2 Africa 3.2.3 Asia/Oceania 3.2.4 North America 3.2.5 Central America 3.2.6 South America 3.3 Rugby League 3.4 Rugby Union 3.5 Colleges 4 Recent news 5 Reebok technologies 6 Some athletic shoe models 7 Some designer shoe models 8 References 9 External links

Freestyle and Ex-O-Fit success

Reebok surged in popularity in 1982 after the introduction of the Freestyle athletic shoe, which was 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. As a result the 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 as it is popular with cheerleading, aerobic dancing, the gym and consumers.

Following the Freestyle success, Reebok also introduced an 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 founder's son, David Foster.

Human rights and production details

In the past, Reebok had an association with outsourcing through sweatshops, but today it claims it is 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 organization dedicated to improving worker conditions across the apparel industry.

Supplier information, according to the Reebok website as of May 2007:

"Footwear Reebok uses footwear factories in 14 countries. Most factories making Reebok footwear are based in Asia — primarily China (accounting for 51% of total footwear production), Indonesia (21%), Vietnam (17%) and Thailand (7%). Production is consolidated, with 88% of Reebok footwear manufactured in 11 factories, employing over 75,000 workers.

"Apparel Reebok has factories in 45 countries. The process of purchasing products from suppliers is organized by region. Most (52%) of Reebok's apparel sold in the United States is produced in Asia, with the rest coming from countries in the Caribbean, North America, Africa and the Middle East. Apparel sold in Europe is typically sourced from Asia and Europe. Apparel sold in the Asia Pacific region is typically produced by Asian-based manufacturers.

Endorsements

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 (Gridiron) since 2002, the Canadian Football League since 2004, and is the official shoe supplier to the NFL and Major League Baseball. In addition Reebok acquired official National Hockey League sponsor CCM in 2004, and is now manufacturing ice hockey equipment under the CCM and Reebok brands, and has signed popular young stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to endorsement deals (Crosby for Reebok, Ovechkin for CCM). Reebok has phased out the CCM name on NHL authentic and replica jerseys in recent years, using the Reebok logo since 2005. Reebok is also endorsed by Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Carolina Klüft, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Shahar Pe'er, Ivy, Thierry Henry, Vince Young, Iker Casillas, Ryan Giggs, Andriy Shevchenko and Amir Khan

The company 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. Several other English clubs had Reebok sponsorship deals up until the purchase by Adidas, but most have since switched to either the parent brand (which has a long history in football) or another company altogether.

In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all eight team home and away strips for the new Australian A-League competition. Although not an expensive deal, this partnership is paying dividends for Reebok, due to the growing popularity of football and the league in the area. An estimated 125,000 jerseys have been sold in Australia,a record for a single league's sales in a year for a sports manufacturer. ^[2].

Reebok sponsors four teams in the Australian Football League, those being the Fremantle Football Club, the Melbourne Football Club, the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Richmond Football Club, the latter two beginning their association from the 2007 season. Reebok has supplied rugby league teams the Melbourne Storm, Manly Sea Eagles and the Gold Coast Titans with club's kits and other merchandise.

In rugby union, Reebok sponsored the Wales national team until late 2008, who won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship in that year, and the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, the Air New Zealand Cup.

In 2006, Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry (then playing for Arsenal FC) signed a deal to join the "I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006. Ryan Giggs has also done "I Am What I Am" commercials. Also, on August 1, 2006, Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company. ^[3]

The company also holds sponsorships with Mexican club CD Guadalajara, Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro, Internacional and São Paulo, and German club 1. FC Köln for the 2008/09 season.

International cricketers such as Pakistani batsmen Shoaib Malik and Abdur Razzaq, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Bangladeshi captain Mohammad Ashraful, Indian batsmen VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, Bangladeshi cricketers Mohammad Rafique and Habibul Bashar, and Chris Gayle of the West Indies endorse Reebok. They are supplied with Reebok cricket shoes, as well as with cricket bats marked with the Reebok brand in the cases of Malik, Dhoni, Laxman, and Gayle.

In August 2006 Reebok re-signed a track and field athlete to a two year deal, The contract supposedly insisted that Curtis James test upcoming shoes, and other designs. He also endorses Reebok running apparel, where he is supplied with clothing, shoes, hats, and other Reebok running equipment. Curtis re-signed once again in 2008. Reebok also made the uniforms used in the Indian Premier League, such as the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings' kits.

Rapper Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok. The "S. Carter Collection by Rbk" was launched in November 21, 2003 and the "S. Carter" sneaker became the fastest-selling shoe in the company's history.^[4] Later Reebok made a deal with rapper 50 Cent to release a line of G-Unit sneakers and artists like Nelly and Miri Ben-Ari have become spokespersons for the company. Reebok also signed Scarlett Johansson and introduced her own line of apparel and footwear called Scarlett Hearts an RBK Lifestyle Collection.

Cricket teams with kits manufactured by Reebok

Asia

• Kings XI Punjab
• Chennai Super Kings
• Bangalore Royal Challengers
• Kolkata Knight Riders
• Sri Lanka national cricket team
• South Africa national cricket team

Football clubs/leagues with kits manufactured by Reebok

Europe

• Bolton Wanderers
• Aris FC
• KF Drenica
• 1. FC Köln
• PFC CSKA Moscow
• RC Lens

Africa

• Bloemfontein Celtic
• AmaZulu F.C.

Asia/Oceania

• Adelaide United
• Central Coast Mariners
• Melbourne Victory
• Newcastle Jets
• Perth Glory
• Queensland Roar
• Sydney FC
• Wellington Pheonix
• Kingfisher East Bengal FC
• Mohun Bagan
• Persela Lamongan

North America

• Deportivo Guadalajara

Central America

• Deportivo Saprissa

South America

• Internacional
• São Paulo
• Cruzeiro

Rugby League

• Gold Coast Titans
• Manly Sea Eagles

Rugby Union

• Tasman Makos

Colleges

• Boston College

Recent news

• In 2009, Reebok launched JUKARI Fit to Fly, an innovative gym workout designed for all women with one single objective – to make fitness for women fun again. JUKARI, the result of a long-term relationship between Reebok and the globally renowned entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil, is an hour-long workout that was created on a specially-designed piece of equipment called the FlySet, which gives the sensation of flying while strengthening and lengthening the body through cardio, strength, balance and core training. JUKARI launched in top gyms in fourteen cities around the world including Hong Kong, Mexico City, Madrid, London, Krakow, Munich, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montreal, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. To complement JUKARI Fit to Fly, Reebok also created two collections of women’s fitness apparel and footwear called On the Move and the Reebok-Cirque du Soleil collection. Both lines consist of products that can be worn for a range of fitness disciplines, from running to yoga, JUKARI Fit to Fly, to tennis. All were developed and designed with a deep understanding and knowledge of the unique way a woman’s body moves.

• It is a well-known fact that many women are busy and don’t always find the time to fit in their daily workout. Based on this relevant consumer need, in 2009, Reebok launched the EasyTone footwear collection that allows consumers to “take the gym with them.” The EasyTone technology involves two balance pods under the heel and forefoot of the shoe that create a natural instability with every step, forcing the muscles to adapt and develop tone.

• For the 2008-09 season, Reebok created the Reebok Edge 2 uniform system, for National Hockey League's players. The league adopted the jersey and now all teams sport the new style for both their home and away jerseys.

• In July 2007, Reebok launched its Lifestyle Footwear Collection in association with Daddy Yankee's new album. In December 2007, Reebok launched the GOAL Collection of football gear on the release of the Indian football movie Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.

• In June 2007, Reebok announced Scarlett Johansson on its array of brand ambassadors. Johansson promotes the Scarlett 'Hearts' Rbk" collection, a 'fashion-forward, athletic-inspired' footwear targeted at the Indian market.

• For the 2007/08 season, the National Hockey League introduced a new uniform system league-wide, designed and manufactured by Reebok and called Reebok Edge. The new uniforms include new fabrics which are said to repel water and sweat more effectively. Most players have avoided comment, but some have commented that the Edge system's improved water repelling abilities leads to gloves and skates becoming saturated and uncomfortable during play.

• In late 2006, a court case began between Liverpool FC, the winners of the 2005 UEFA Champions League while wearing Reebok's kit, and Reebok. Reebok claimed that Liverpool cost them £7m because of a delay in confirming the renewal of the Carlsberg sponsorship deal, which meant a delay in releasing the away shirt for 2005/06 (the last that Reebok would make for them)The kit that was eventually released was very similar to the away kit for 2003/04. Liverpool subsequently switched to Adidas for their official kit following Adidas' acquisition of Reebok.

• In November 2006, the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association switched from Reebok to Adidas branding on authentic and replica jerseys because that brand is better known outside North America and the UK.

• In October 2006 Reebok launches its first blog, I am what I am in Spanish.

• On March 23, 2006, Reebok recalled 300,000 charm bracelets that contained extremely high levels of lead. The bracelet has a heart pendant at the end that is printed with the name "Reebok." It allegedly caused the lead poisoning death of a 4-year-old child who swallowed it.

• In August 2005, one of the company's largest rivals, Adidas, announced that it would acquire Reebok for $3.8 billion. The deal was completed in January 2006.

Reebok technologies

PlayShield logo

PlayDry logo

The RBK logo

Griptonite logo

The Pump logo

• Hex Ride
• PlayShield
• PlayDry
• Rbk Edge Uniform System
• Hydromove
• DMX
• DMX10
• DMX6
• Griptonite
• The Pump
• DMX Foam
• DMX Reflex
• Hexalite
• 3D Ultralite
• E.R.S. (Energy Return System)

Some athletic shoe models

• Classic
• Freestyle
• The Pump
• Premier Running
• BlackTop
• ATR

Some designer shoe models

• Fish Fry by Manish Arora
• Reebok Rolland Berry by Reebok/[Rolland Berry] artist / designer
• ALIFExReebok court victory pump by Alife/Reebok

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Reebok International Limited

• Official website
• Business practices website, supplier details
• Reebok South Africa