YO! REEBOK PUMP UP, AIR OUT!

THE BATTLEGROUND
This colossal story however, is initially focused on two brands. Nike were upstarts during the ‘70s, but in the early ‘80s, Reebok exploded with a focus on women that blindsided the Knight brigade. Prior to Pump, many won’t recall hardwood and Reebok, but some solid models like the Pro Legacy made noise, not to mention the Bok pilfering Nike athletes like the Celtic’s Danny Ainge (later seen in Pump ‘Talking Heads’ commercials) and the now sadly deceased Dennis Johnson which certainly  helped animosity simmer. By 1987, Reebok was a certified phenomenon, overtaking Nike with a 26% market share of the athletic shoe sector. Nike’s aggressive ‘Just Do It’ campaign brought them back to dominance eventually, but before that happened, Reebok had a new weapon in their armory. Several actually. The irony was that both brands were using the same volatile cocktail, albeit in different oxygenated formats.

THE EIGHTIES
Reebok’s Paul Litchfield was the man challenged by the perenially pushy Paul Fireman to make the Pump concept work. The idea was easy to grasp. Pump would use inflatable chambers that pump-up for a custom fit. The reasoning was logical – no two feet are alike! That imperfection can make for a vast hindrance in competition. Beyond performance, the notion of ‘customisation’ even at this basic inflate/deflate level is hugely appealing to consumers
on an aesthetic scale.

To encapsulate and brand this technology without it becoming too far-out and extra terrestrial was Litchfield’s challenge, not to mention bringing it in on a reasonable budget within an insanely short timeframe. It was far from an easy gestation. Stressful too. Teaming up with Massachusetts-based firm Design Continuum in 1988 added additional expertise to the team. The biggest issue was how to keep the air stable in the flexible film pouches – inspiration finally came in the form of the medical industry.