This past June, Michael Rider held his first standalone menswear show for Celine at the Tennis Club de Paris. ‘[It’s about] enjoying what we do in the studio, and desiring it ourselves, all of it, the clothes and the characters,’ the Washington, D.C.-born designer said, honing an aesthetic that combines American preppiness and Parisian flair, offering a spin on the familiar tenets of a classic wardrobe.
Amongst an array of desirable accessories – including colourful cummerbunds, patterned ties and wooden beads – was his first major collaboration as the house’s creative director, a riff on Reebok’s 1982 Reebok Freestyle Lo, created alongside the American sportswear behemoth. True to style, Rider describes the nostalgic sneakers as ‘heritage two ways... Paris street, American movement.’
Celine’s collaboration with Reebok has arrived
The collaboration as it appeared on the Celine runway this past June at Paris Fashion Week Men’s
‘Celine and Reebok are both about the tension between heritage and forward motion,’ he continues. ‘The past, and the here and now.’
Constructed in soft, pliable leather, lending a gently worn-in feel, the sneaker comes in eight colourways, including ‘Peanut’, ‘Oxblood’, ‘Dark Brown’, ‘Fluo Red‘ and ‘Butter’, as well as more classic white, black and beige (Rider is also known for a vivid use of colour, seeing bold primary shades paired with classic tones evocative of the house’s traditional bourgeois codes). ‘One style. 8 colours. Infinite possibilities,’ describes Celine.
Introduced in 1982, the 1982 Reebok Freestyle Lo was designed by Angel Martinez to initially appeal to women during the rise of aerobics classes in the early 1980s. It would become one of the brand’s best-known unisex styles, evolving into the Freestyle Hi, which features two Velcro straps. Reebok has continued the style in various iterations in the years since.
Rider describes it as ‘A shoe that has moved through time, and still moves with us, with you.
After a launch event during New York Fashion Week, the collaboration will launch on September 12 at selected stores worldwide, including New York Soho, Tokyo Ometesando, Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive, Miami Design District, Paris Montaigne, Milan Montenapoleone, Dubai Mall Men & Women, London New Bond Street, Shanghai IFC, Seoul The Hyundai, Hong Kong Harbour City and Singapore Marina Bay Sands.