Foster and Spikes of Fire
Reebok's United Kingdom-based ancestor company was founded for one of the best reasons possible: athletes wanted to run faster. By 1895, he was in business making shoes by hand for top runners; and before long his fledgling company, J.W. Foster and Sons, developed an international clientele of distinguished athletes. The family-owned business proudly made the running shoe
s worn in the 1924 Summer Games by the athletes celebrated in the film "Chariots of Fire".
1950 - 1980
A Gazelle Named Reebok
A Company on the Move
In 1958, two of the founder's grandsons started a companion company that came to be known as Reebok, named for an African gazelle. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a partner in an outdoor sporting goods distributorship, spotted Reebok shoes at an international trade show. He negotiated for the North American distribution license and introduced three running shoes in the U.S. At $60, they were the most expensive runnin1996 reebok Atlanta olympics adg shoes on the market.
1980 -1990
Freestyle Aerobics and Step Reebok
Aerobics
By 1981, Reebok's sales exceeded $1.5 million, but a dramatic move was planned for the next year. In 1982, Reebok introduced the first athletic shoe designed especially for women; a shoe for a hot new fitness exercise called aerobic dance. The shoe was called the Freestyle™, and with it Reebok anticipated and encouraged three major trends that transformed the athletic footwear industry: the aerobic exercise movement, the influx of women into sports and exercise and the acceptance of well-designed athletic footwear by adults for street and casual wear.
