Reebok is bringing in new blood to help shepherd its future look and feel.
On Wednesday, the Adidas-owned athletic apparel and footwear label announced the appointment of Kerby Jean-Raymond to vice president of creative direction.
In his new role, Jean-Raymond will head up all design disciplines for Reebok, working in tandem with its product, global marketing and development teams to implement his new design strategy across all of the brand’s consumer touch points. He will serve on the senior leadership team, reporting to the company’s president, Matt O’Toole.
“Kerby is a fashion visionary with a bold approach who has established himself as a leader and a passionate activist,” O’Toole said in a statement.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jean-Raymond founded New York men’s and women’s contemporary apparel label Pyer Moss 2013. Reebok’s relationship with the designer originated four years ago through a collaboration with the culturally relevant label on a line of streetwear and shoes.
His work in the industry has garnered industry awards and accolades, including 2020’s CFDA Award for American Menswear Designer of the Year, along with Harlem’s Fashion Row Designer of the Year. Jean-Raymond also recently collaborated with global fashion house Kering on a platform for industry innovators dubbed Your Friends in New York, which is slated to include a fashion incubator program.
In his new position, the designer will help spearhead Reebok’s Product with Purpose program, set to launch in 2021, which will underscore the brand’s United Against Racism commitments enacted this summer in the light of nationwide protests over social justice.
Reebok products created under Jean-Raymond’s direction will arrive in 2022, the company said in a statement.
“I am thrilled to be evolving my role at Reebok and joining the leadership team as the head of creative direction,” Jean-Raymond said. “I welcome this opportunity to help invigorate the brand with new ideas, while also focusing on instilling a sense of social purpose into our work.”
O’Toole added that Reebok is “incredibly excited” about Jean-Raymond’s future impact on both design and brand purpose, and looks forward to the designer bringing his “unique voice and direction” to the company.
“This is certainly a big opportunity for both Reebok and for Kerby,” he added. “He understands the value of our rich heritage and iconic silhouettes and how he can build on that and take Reebok in an exciting and evolved direction.”