Few brands have achieved such broad cultural influence as Reebok.
Princess Diana’s off-duty gym looks to Shaquille O’Neal’s on-court dominance; the brand has not only stood the test of time, but it has also repeatedly found ways to tap into the cultural moment without abandoning its roots.
It is a balancing act that many heritage labels attempt, but few sustain.
Now, Reebok is attempting its next evolution, signing global music heavyweight KAROL G as its new global brand ambassador in a multi-year partnership designed to relaunch Reebok Classics for a new generation.
Princess Diana in her iconic Reeboks. Source: Supplied
Heritage as a living code
The partnership marks a global reset for the brand’s most recognisable silhouettes, anchored by a new campaign platform, Born Classic. Worn for Life.
The idea is straightforward: honour the icon, then reinterpret it.
At the product level, that means a refreshed Classics line crafted in 100% real Garment Leather, spanning unisex and women’s only styles. The strategy leans into material credibility and quality while maintaining mid-tier pricing, a calculated position in a cost-conscious retail climate.
Katherine Sutton, global director of collaboration marketing at Reebok, told Mediaweek the focus remains clear: evolve without erasing.
“We’re very proud of our heritage and the history of the brand. But, you know, we’re really excited about the future of the brand as well. We’re not leaving our roots within our classic silhouettes.
“We also have a rich sports history, which we’ve recently reentered with basketball and golf. While we draw on our past, we are highly invested in making it new and relevant for the current generation as well.”
Sutton said the goal has always been to “pay homage to the icons of the past through this new generational lens.”
Katherine Sutton, global director of collaboration marketing at Reebok. Source: LinkedIn
The right icon for the next chapter
If heritage is the foundation, culture is the amplifier.
Reebok’s decision to centre KAROL G in this next chapter signals a deliberate alignment with global influence that spans music, fashion and identity.
Shot by Renell Medrano, the campaign reframes Reebok’s most recognisable silhouettes through a modern cultural lens, referencing the moments that embedded the brand in fashion and fitness history while positioning KAROL G as the connective thread between eras.
Sutton said the choice of ambassador was instinctive and strategic.
Sutton said KAROL G emerged as the clear partner to carry that vision forward. The brand wanted someone who could honour legacy without feeling anchored to it, someone building her own iconography in real time.
“KAROL G was honestly the best partner to do that,” she said. “She’s paving her own way, but certainly understands icons of the past as well. We couldn’t think of a better brand partner to bring it to life.”
KAROL G. Source: Reebok
From Reebok’s perspective, the timing also aligned. KAROL G’s global momentum has accelerated rapidly, positioning her not just as a chart-topping artist but as a cultural force crossing markets and mediums.
Sutton described her as “taking the world by storm,” pointing to recent headline moments including the Super Bowl halftime stage and her upcoming Coachella headline slot.
“She has such a great story. She’s a pioneer, and we’re excited to be part of her journey as she continues to break down those barriers,” Sutton said.
“We’re excited to invest in this partnership and continue to break barriers and talk to the consumer through her lens as well.”
In that equation, KAROL G becomes more than an ambassador. She functions as a conduit, translating Reebok’s heritage into something that feels current, personal and globally resonant.
Meanwhile, KAROL G has described the collaboration as deeply personal.
“I’ve been wearing Reeboks for as long as I can remember, so becoming a Global Brand Ambassador feels like a full-circle moment.
“Reebok Classics has a rich foundation and heritage in style, which is really important to me when it comes to fashion, and I love that I’ll get to be part of the brand’s story and show the world how I take Reebok with me wherever I go.”
KAROL G. Source: Reebok
More than a sneaker
For Reebok, the recalibration extends beyond leather upgrades and celebrity partnerships. It speaks to how sneakers function in culture today, not simply as footwear, but as personal markers.
Sutton said relevance now means understanding what the product represents in people’s lives.
For Sutton, the partnership with KAROL G falls within a broader mandate: to ensure Reebok speaks fluently to the next generation without diluting what made it iconic in the first place.
“I think our focus should be on continuing to speak to the new generation, telling relevant stories, and highlighting our rich heritage and history as a brand,” she said. “We want to invest in the future of these generations and what sneakers mean to them and what storytelling means to them.”
That framing positions sneakers less as a product and more as a form of personal language. Sutton argued that footwear now functions as identity shorthand, a visible marker of taste, ambition and mindset.
“Sneakers become so much more than just what you put on your feet, but they represent, you know, who you are as a person. We want to meet the consumer where they are in that journey.”
Importantly, she does not describe a single, neatly defined Reebok customer. Instead, she focuses on mindset over demographics. The brand’s audience, she said, wants to interpret the world on its own terms.
“I think the Reebok consumer, you know, wants to look at the world differently in their own unique way and perspective. And they want to break out of the norm. They want to stand out.”
Reebok’s role, in that context, is to provide a foundation rather than a prescription. A classic silhouette becomes a starting point, not a finished statement.
“They can take a classic. They can make it their own,” Sutton said.
Whether the consumer is an aspiring professional athlete or a parent pushing a stroller while carving out time for their own well-being, the common thread is autonomy.
“It’s really just that person who paves their own way. That’s who we really want to talk about,” she said. “There’s not a direct path, and you can kind of take your own journey, and we’re here to be a part of that.”
In other words, the brand is not chasing a single archetype. It is building a platform flexible enough to hold many.
Agility, she said, will define the path forward.
For a company that has moved fluidly between sport, street and pop culture for decades, this moment feels less like reinvention and more like recalibration. Reebok is not discarding its past. It is polishing it, pricing it within reach, and placing it on the feet of an artist who embodies forward motion.
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