Reebok Announces “First Pitch” Digital Platform That Allows Consumers To Determine Sneaker Production

Elliot Santiago September 18th, 2020 (updated)

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There’s a clear indication that Sportswear brands have been putting forth noticeable efforts to produce products that are both functional and sustainably-made. Nike has made strides with their ongoing Space Hippie collection, adidas continues their ongoing partnership with Parley, and so on. And now, Reebok is looking to chime in on the conversation, but in a way that we’ve never seen before. Today, the Boston-headquartered brand announces their forthcoming “First Pitch” program, a digital platform that allows consumers themselves to decide whether or not a shoe will actually move forward into production based off of a clear step-by-step process.

First, they’ll load a product proposal on their site which will in turn populate a commitment window that, depending on the sneaker, remains open anywhere from 72 hours to 30 days. Each pair will start at a price of $1 and will go up $1 with each commitment until it reaches its usual retail price. Essentially, you’d be able to cop a shoe for $1, but its production is contingent on whether or not 500 pairs are sold. If not enough people are interested, the shoes will simply not be made. The concept is predicated on the idea of, for one making products that customers actually want, as well as ultimately cutting out unnecessary quantities of produced shoes. The program will kick off during the second week of August with the Classic Leather “Bee Keeper” colorway previewed through initial sketches here below. For more info, you can visit Reebok’s First Pitch landing page here.

Elsewhere in the realm of upcoming sneakers, peep a look at the upcoming Nike Air Max 1 SNKRS Day colorways.

Updated (9/18/2020): The Reebok “First Pitch” Program is launching the Aztec OG “Quart de Mile” on 9/21 at 10am ET. This iteration is inspired by former Reebok athlete and ‘90s world champion sprinter Marie-Jose Pèrec.

Updated (8/28/2020): The Reebok “First Pitch” Program is continuing on 8/31 with the launch of the Club C “Open Membership” colorway. Inspired by the sport of tennis, this iteration is constructed with a traditional chalk leather uppers, tonal suede toe overlays, tennis-ball textured liners, and actual court graphics that replace the standard window box British flag logos. These will be available for purchase on August 31st at 10am ET on https://firstpitch.reebok.com/.

Updated (8/14/2020): The Reebok “First Pitch” Program is launching on 8/15 for National Honey Bee Day.

Updated (8/10/2020): The Reebok “First Pitch” Program launch has been postponed.