Spitfires and Hurricanes (81-84)

Not only could Pentland provide the financial backing Fireman needed but also, they had offices in Hongkong and Pusan, Korea the home of HS corporation and their factory. To head his development Paul recruited Steve Liggett, who would spend much of the next five years flying to and from Pusan where he stayed for months on end.

Orient express (77-83)

Reebok had struggled through the mid 70’s to fight increases in cost, inflation in the UK was running at over 10% and industrial relations between corporations and unions was at rock bottom. Every year Reebok’s prices went up while their competitions didn’t.  It was at the super show that salvation from this ever-increasing spiral was found. 

COUGAR! Road training legend (1976 -78).

Before the Aztec, Reebok was already a well-established Road training brand in the UK, Europe and USA, the shoe that had established that reputation was Cougar, a tough yet light Road shoe that had gone through many modifications through the 1970’s. 

Marathon and Cougar (1972 to 1973)

Enter the Cougar, a new shoe for Reebok making use of new materials that had just become available and it addressed the needs of the modern runner.

The Shoe that saved Nike®!

Adidas and Nike could no longer sit it out, they had waved off Aerobics as a fitness fad that would fade, colourful women’s shoes were athleisure and took market from KEDS and Converse, it wasn’t a serious market, they reasoned.  Fitness hit them hard, double digit falls in sales and rising inventory of their long-term best sellers, filled up warehouses and soaked up cash faster than they could turn off the tap, they were both in trouble.

It’s a Classic!

Looking back on the history of Reebok and the evolvement of the company into a worldwide force.  This was one of the key times that resulted in a range of product that would define Reebok for the next decade:

VICTORY G (OG) review:

The Victory GOG is a tribute to what I would say was the first Reebok to be created by Paul Fireman,  It was Paul who saw GORE-TEX running suits in 1980 and it was his challenge to My Dad and then Factory Manager Bob Johnson to come up with the shoe.  It was also Paul who insisted on changing the companies logo away from the ‘Starcrest’ and insisted on the union flag, in a window box on the lateral of the shoe, a feature that would be a Reebok trademark for the next 20years.

The legend of the Black Spot.

Both My dad and Paul Fireman would often tell this tale of those first bata shoes, those that collapsed! Reebok went on to have many more quality issues, PVC not sticking on Freestyles, resulting in removing the PVC all together and leaving just the stitching, a trademark Reebok feature created by a fault. the 0.8mm glove leather toes that got over roughed and split, backed with nylon that didn’t stick to the leather!

AZII OG review

In 1982 Dave Singleton was brought in to head sales and marketing while Paul Brown was to design the next generation of Reeboks. Along with Paul came further investment in equipment and product.  

Fourteen pieces of luggage!(’99-2000)

The look on Jan’s face was a picture as was the woman’s on check-in as I pulled out my Marco Polo card; “seven to check in and fourteen pieces of luggage!”