Reebok continues to court hip hop

By

Kate Dingwall

Published
Jan 26, 2017

Reebok is continuing its outreach with the hip hop world, announcing this week its partnership with recording artist Teyana Taylor for the "Free Your Style" campaign.

Taylor’s work with the Reebok spawned an 80’s style work-out video and a selection of campaign images. Taylor told the press that Reebok parent Adidas “really opened the door for creativity in women's fashion, it gave permission for sneakers to be feminine. I’m honored to be the face of the Freestyle campaign for everything it stood for yesterday and what it still represents today." Teyana Taylor has come to the spotlight recently after starring in Kanye West’s Fade video.

In the past, Reebok has aligned itself with hip hop legends like Kendrick Lamar, Cam’ron and Future in an effort to appeal to a younger, cooler demographic. Reebok’s partnership with Lamar saw a fusion of fashion and music with sneakers inspired by Lamar and his music. Future launched an updated version of the brand’s Instapump sneaker this past October.

Reebok is under pressure to firm up sales both in the US and overseas, having been signaled out by newly appointed Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted in November as a weak brand in the Adidas portfolio. His plan calls for giving the US Reebok more autonomy and separation from the parent group to orchestrate its own turnaround. Reebok currently accounts for approximately 10 percent of Adidas group sales.