Less than two months after it dropped a second Tom and Jerry capsule and four months after debuting a Minions collection, Reebok is once again drawing inspiration from an animated franchise.
In partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Universal Brand Development, Reebok unveiled its new Kung Fu Panda full-family footwear and apparel collection Wednesday. Led by four themed footwear models and accompanied by a full range of complementary apparel, the lineup debuted globally on the footwear brand’s website Friday, with a wider release on Jan. 15 at select retailers.
The collection’s footwear line tops out with the $200 Instapump Fury “Dragon Warrior.” Inspired by the franchise’s lead character Po’s journey to becoming a “Dragon Warrior,” the shoe features a furry suede upper with dragon graphic on top, a textile Pump bladder and pull tabs nodding to his patchwork shorts, a collar lining that ties back to his belt and waist bend and a TPU shank constructed with a bamboo finish representing his fighting staff. Lucky number graphics at the heel reference the year of each “Kung Fu Panda” film release.
The collection includes two Club C designs. The first, Club C “Master Your Style,” nods to the franchise’s six lead characters’ wardrobes via a tapestry of materials and colors. The other, the Club C “Calling All Zodiacs,” offers “a more-subtle graphic execution,” Reebok said, celebrating the ideologies and mentalities of each of the film’s seven Kung Fu Masters.
Related Stories
The last footwear entry, the Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi,” “celebrates the soul,” Reebok said. It features an upper graphic paying homage to the golden spirit world Po enters in the franchise’s third film, an all-over spiritual graphic on the sockliner, a cherry blossom heel graphic and a sublimated soul graphic across the all-textile upper.
The Club C “Calling All Zodiacs” and Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi” are available in adult, grade school, preschool and toddler sizing. The Instapump Fury’s “Dragon Warrior” design is also available in the Versa Pump for kids.
A full apparel collection complements the footwear lineup, offering hoodies, crew sweaters, short-sleeve tees and sweatpants.
Reebok will not be the only brand releasing apparel inspired by a hit animated franchise this week. On Wednesday, graphic tee company Junk Food Clothing, in partnership with Nickelodeon, the NFL and ViacomCBS Consumer Products, dropped a collection of football-themed SpongeBob SquarePants apparel. Designed by Philadelphia-based contemporary artist King Saladeen, the release includes short-sleeve T-shirts and hooded fleeces for adults and children.