Cannes 2014, its festival, its Croisette, the
Schweppes villa
and the evening not to be missed: the 25th anniversary of the unmissable
Reebok Classics
THE
PUMP
.
Created in 1989, the Pump system was probably initially developed to counter Nike’s Air system. The great innovation of Reebok has made it possible for athletes to inflate the cushions of their shoes. The famous flashy buttons on the tongue, in the shape of a basketball, have become the quasi-logo of the range. This technology will be used on many models, including the OmniLite, the Fury, the Bringback…
At the time, I was 7 years old -aye, you know my age… My brothers, older than me, had them, and I was jealous. I had to wait until 1994 and a trip to the US to buy my first pair, which would be all the rage when I got back to France.
On the tennis courts (Roland Garros inspires me), Michael Chang wore them in style, and his pair of Court Victory were made famous with his victory at the tournament that year. This era marked the birth of a legend, not just of tennis, but of sneakers; the Pump became a cult model, prized by all its fans.
What’s more, to mark #RG14 (for hyper-connected twittos like me) and his birthday, Pump and Reebok France are organizing a Facebook game to meet the tennis player: ask your questions here.
25 years later, the young and pretty Pump was celebrated in style at one of the world’s most prestigious venues, the Cannes Film Festival. On May 17, aboard the magnificent luxury yacht Club Med 2, privatized by Villa Schweppes, the Reebok team welcomed a host of celebrities for a memorable evening.
Among them were brand ambassadors Laure Manaudou, Fauve Hautot, Les Casseurs Flowters (Orelsan and Gringe) and Alexis Vastine, as well as WoodKid, Karine Lemarchand, Axelle Lafont, Victoria Abril, Passi and Stomy Bugsy from Ministère Amer, Daphné Burki and Gunther Love. A concert by Ministère Amer and Les Casseurs Flowters also set a hip-hop, urban mood, a true reflection of Pump’s DNA.
A successful, friendly and sparkling party, which Luxsure followed from terra firma; the event was enhanced by a private dinner specially prepared by chef Jean Imbert, who needs no introduction and is wearing a more than appropriate pair of Pumps below!
Parisians are not to be outdone, since in April they were able to discover a bluffing street-marketing operation. The brand created a buzz by fitting a dozen statues with the famous Pump. Successful off-set and guaranteed publicity.
The #PumpedSince campaign was deployed in particular on social networks, where it found an original digital relay with features on Twitter in particular.
Also favored by NBA stars in the 90s – for whom the Pump was initially intended – the sneaker has become a symbol of an entire generation, my generation. 4 adjectives describe my vision of the Pump: nostalgic, classic, aesthetic and technical.
And have you ever had the pleasure of wearing a pair over the last 1/4 of a century? In any case, they’re still in fashion today, and you can even customize your own model on the the E-commerce site.
Jessica Gauzi
NB: created in 1958, the Reebok brand actually entered the history of sport in 1895 with its founder Joseph William Foster, one of the first to manufacture athletic footwear in the UK.
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
