(BOSTON) March 20, 2024 - Today, Reebok and creative director Cam Hicks have officially announced their long-awaited footwear collaboration taking shape on Reebok’s iconic BB4000 II basketball lifestyle shoe. A manifestation of the HICKS brand, the artist’s Virginia roots, and his lifelong love for basketball, the HICKS x Reebok BB4000 II ($150, 100072116) drops March 27, exclusively from hicks.fm, before its wider global release on April 5 from Reebok.com and select fashion retailers.
“It’s going to sound cliche, but family was the driving inspiration for this collab on the BB4000 II,” explained Hicks, a sought after creative director by way of Maryland and Virginia. “Following that, I wanted a classic basketball sneaker to give a shout-out to my life before all the creative endeavors.”
And BB4000 II is just that; a timeless sport-turned-lifestyle shoe, a subtle yet multi-layered canvas straight from the Reebok archive, a design that can be worn everyday while still standing out from a crowd of common classics, and a representation of Virginia style – how Hicks remembers it.
Dressed in chalk, orange, and signature HICKS turquoise, the shoe’s color pallet pays homage to Hicks’ past, while elevated materials like a premium leather upper, suede detailing, and a premium leather tongue lining speak to his contemporary creative prowess. The design is made complete by branding on the heel and tongue, a stone printed footbed, and a message reading ‘Act like you been there before’ on the inside ankle.
“When it comes to the shoes, the materials were extremely important,” emphasized Hicks. “And then I had to let it be known where they came from, of course, adding the big logo hit on the heel and “Reebok by Cam Hicks” on the tongue - standing on the design and being proud of it with the branding.”
HICKS x BB4000 II pairs arrive in a custom sneaker box highlighting HICKS brand language and offering a new take on Reebok’s classic Union Jack packaging.
Bringing the product narrative to life visually, Hicks and Reebok worked together to shed a comedic light on watered down brand-partner meetings: “For the first promo video, “Research and Development”, the creative direction was inspired by taking an outdated strategy that my friends and I had been victim of for a while, and Reebok - always being a bit different - were down to expose it in a way only Reebok can.”
In closing, Hicks speaks to the unique Reebok partnership and collaborative process with the global sportswear brand: “It’s more than a sneaker, to be honest. Reebok took a chance on me and gave me a lot of free reign on the storylines and marketing. They let me share things from my perspective, which is honestly rare in relationships between designers and big companies. I really appreciate that and think it helped make for an even deeper product.”
The HICKS x Reebok BB4000 II is available beginning March 27, exclusively from hicks.fm, before its wider global release on April 5 from Reebok.com and select fashion retailers. Fans can expect more from HICKS x Reebok later this year.