In 2015, lengthy earlier than artist-brand collabs flooded your Instagram feed each week, Kendrick Lamar quietly dropped a Reebok sneaker tie-up that didn’t scream “take a look at me.” It’s been almost a decade since that launch, however the story behind the way it all got here collectively continues to be price telling.
This wasn’t nearly laces and logos; it was a uncommon case the place a shoe carried an actual message. And it took Reebok almost two years of chasing earlier than Kendrick lastly picked up the telephone. Right this moment, when sneaker offers come and go in months, that type of endurance feels virtually unbelievable.
However Reebok knew they weren’t simply attempting to land a celeb. They wished Kendrick solely, and he wasn’t signing on until it meant one thing. Damion Presson, who led Reebok’s leisure advertising on the time, stated within the interview with Complicated, “I principally chased Kendrick for about two years. It took about two years to get them to name me again.” That’s actual persistence; most manufacturers would’ve moved on, however Reebok didn’t.
When The Footwear Dropped, They Didn’t Simply Promote, They Informed A Story
In summer season 2015, the collab lastly went public. First up: the Reebok Ventilator. Basic silhouette, clear design, however with a quiet punch. The heel tabs learn “RED” and “BLUE,” a reference to the rival Bloods and Crips.
For Kendrick, this was private. Raised in Compton, he grew up round these tensions. He didn’t need to glamorize them, however to speak about them. His debut sneaker did that in a refined however highly effective means.
Presson later stated it finest: “We have been attempting to advertise unity. You see pink and blue, however it goes larger than that.” And Kendrick made one other sturdy name, one which went towards the grain. He wished the sneakers to remain accessible. He didn’t need the youngsters in his neighborhood priced out. “They make the tradition,” he reminded everybody. “You possibly can’t run from the youngsters.” In a hype-driven market, that felt radical.
Kendrick Took It Again To Compton & Made It Actual
To have a good time the collab, Kendrick went straight house. He carried out dwell at his old fashioned, Centennial Excessive in Compton. That transfer stated all the things about what this mission meant to him. It was about constructing bridges between artwork, id, and neighborhood.
Wanting again, the Lamar-Reebok period didn’t blow up resale charts or dominate headlines. However this one caught round in a world filled with flashy one-off offers. It turned a blueprint for tips on how to do it proper.
With this collab, Kendrick helped shift the dialog about authenticity, unity, and what it means to make use of your title for one thing larger than branding. Ten years later, that collab nonetheless feels forward of its time.
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