Reebok International Limited created Reebok Shoes and other athletic apparel and accessories under the same brand. At present, the company is a subsidiary of Adidas, another athletic and sports wear company.

The history of Reebok

The name Reebok came from the Afrikaans language. It is the native spelling of the African antelope rhebok. The Reebok Company began in 1895 in United Kingdom. It was originally named as J.W. Foster and Sons. It was only in 1958 when the name Reebok was given to the company. The founders, Jeff and Joe Foster, found the name Reebok in a dictionary that Joe Foster won in a race when he was a boy. Being the South African edition of the dictionary, Reebok is spelled as such.

Reebok increased in popularity in 1982 with the release of the Freestyle athletic shoe. This was designed for women for use in the popular aerobics programs. Reebok did not just become a popular athletic wear; it was also able to conquer the street wear collections due to its style and comfort. Because of this popularity, the Reebok Freestyle became an icon of the 1980’s. At this time, Reebok Freestyle is still being produced catering to cheerleaders, gym goers, and aerobic dancers.

Along with the success of Freestyle for women, Reebok also has the Ex-O-Fit for its male consumers. David Foster, son of one of the founders, designed the Ex-O-Fit.

Reebok production practices

In 2004, Reebok Shoes was recognized as the first company with the Fair Labor Association accreditation. The company also became one of the founding members of the Fair Factories Clearinghouse, which is a non-profit organization whose cause is to improve the work conditions of the workers in the clothing industry.

At present, Reebok as 14 shoe factories in other countries. More than half of the production of shoes is done in China. A large percentage is also done in other Asian countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Who endorses Reebok?

Reebok has been a figure in the field of sports since the early 2000s. Since 2002, Reebok has the sole right to manufacture the uniform jerseys and other apparel of the teams in the National Football League. Since 2004, it also has the exclusive rights to the Canadian Football League. Reebok Shoes is also the official supplier to the Major League Baseball and the National Football League Gridiron. Reebok also manufactured kits for several cricket teams in Asia and football leagues in several continents.