NEW YORK — Reebok is pumped about the latest addition to its footwear lineup.
The Boston-based activewear brand on Wednesday hosted a multimedia presentation at Spring Studios in TriBeCa here to reintroduce an updated version of its signature Pump running shoe from the Eighties.
The original model was created in 1989 and was among the company’s most popular shoes.
“This represents a total reimagining and reinvention of one of our most iconic and enduring products,” said Matt O’Toole, Reebok’s president.
The latest iteration is called the ZPump Fusion, a running shoe that conforms and adapts to every foot. Unlike traditional running shoes that are made up of more than 40 individual parts, the ZPump Fusion has only three. It offers a new, proprietary air-filled cage that surrounds and molds to the foot, providing a custom fit. The shoe also features a four-way stretch fusion sleeve that is lightweight and provides control and comfort, along with a ZRated outsole inspired by ZRated tires and that has edges and underfoot grooves for improved control.
“Many running shoes are developed around a rigid, factory-developed last shape that can never be a true representation of your unique foot,” said Paul Litchfield, inventor of the Pump and head of Reebok Advanced Concepts. “The ZPump Fusion is completely structure-less when not inflated and then molds to the shape of your foot once you put it on and inflate. It conforms to the shape of your foot to give you a locked-in, custom fit when you run. To get that security, you may need three pumps or you may need eight pumps — it is fully customizable for each person.”
The shoes will launch on Tuesday and retail for $110. “That’s the sweet spot for us,” O’Toole told WWD. Colors and patterns will be updated with new deliveries every month, he said.
The shoe will be supported by Reebok’s “biggest campaign in years,” he said. It will include television, print, in-store and digital components. The first commercial will star Jon “Bones” Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion and Reebok ambassador, who was filmed sprinting around a city in the new shoes.
This campaign comes on the heels of an advertising initiative Reebok launched at the Super Bowl, “Be More Human.” The ads show regular people in athletic settings in one shot and then in their everyday life in the next. O’Toole explained it this way: “Reebok believes that by pushing ourselves to the brink and testing our limitations, we become better partners, leaders, parents and better friends.”
He said the decision to use a UFC fighter instead of a runner in the ZPump ads was intentional. In December, Reebok signed a six-year partnership to become the exclusive outfitter and apparel provider for the mixed martial arts organization.
O’Toole said Wednesday: “The idea is more and more that our consumers are doing a lot of different activities, not just running. They’re also doing yoga and Crossfit.” He said UFC athletes stay in shape by running and are viewed as “the models for fitness. So while it may be more unusual than going the traditional route and using a runner, we like mixing it up.”
In addition to the footwear, Reebok will also offer Pump apparel, although it will sport the logo and a similar color scheme, but not the air-pump technology. Initially, a line of graphic T-shirts will also launch with the footwear on Tuesday and the collection will be expanded from there.