If you were a fan of Reebok’s first collaboration with inclusive swimwear brand Chromat last summer, you’ll be excited about what the duo has worked on since.
This morning, Reebok announced its latest footwear launch with Chromat, which made its runway debut during the swim brand’s Spring 2020 New York Fashion Week show. The collection, which is made up of three new sneakers in highlighter yellow, white, and navy blue, was inspired by the deep sea and space exploration. All three styles combine Reebok’s Zig three-part energy system — designed to make them more comfortable, practical, and wearable — with the style components, from the vibrant color combinations to the sharp lines and angles, added by Chromat’s founder and creative director, Becca McCharen-Tran.
For the show, which took place last September, the Reebok x Chromat Zig Kinetica sneakers were styled alongside sexy cut-out swimwear and experimental ready-to-wear designs — all shown on a diverse lineup of models. The spring collection was especially important as it marked the 10th birthday of Chromat, a brand that’s been celebrating diversity, size-inclusivity, and experimentation since day one.
With shelter-in-place orders, the duo teamed up with New York-based CGI artists Pussykrew to render the shoes in 3-D on avatars for the campaign. “It’s been an interesting challenge finding new ways to connect with each other during quarantine, and we wanted to explore that feeling,” McCharen-Tran said in an e-mail to Refinery29.
The campaign shows Rue and X Æ, two CGI bots that Pussykrew developed for the shoot, dancing and posing on a rooftop overlooking what appears to be New York City — that is, if America’s most populous city was entirely abandoned. “A dance challenge filmed on a rooftop and transmitted to a bedroom screen culminates with a long-awaited IRL meeting (once it’s safe again),” the landing page reads.
According to the release, the campaign was designed to “explore the space between gender, identity, and the post-human universe.” If you were ever curious as to what the end of the world will look like, just take a look at this campaign.
All three genderless Reebok x Chromat Zig Kinetica sneakers are available to shop now on Chromat.co and, starting May 22, on Reebok.com. What’s more, for every Zig Kinetica sneaker purchased, Chromat is donating 10% of the proceeds to two COVID-19 Mutual Aid organizations: {F}empower‘s Miami Community Bail Fund and The Campaign Against Hunger.
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