Images via Eames Office (left) and Reebok (right)
You’ve probably sat in an Eames product at least once in your life. Soon, you’ll be able to walk in one too.
In partnership with the office founded by mid-century design marvels Ray and Charles Eames in 1941, Reebok has playfully reinterpreted a series of iconic designs as sneakers, inviting you to celebrate their legacy down to the very sole.
The new Eames Office collection splashes Reebok’s Classic Leather shoes in elements from three Eames products: the Eames Elephant; the Eames Coloring Toy; and rosewood, a nod at the couple’s choice of furniture finishing.
The bulk of the five-sneaker selection comprises a spin on the colorful elephant-shaped children’s toy and stool that the Eameses created in the 1940s.
Image via Reebok
Envisioned in plasticky colorways of Vector Red, Seaside Gray, and Cool Aloe, the laced footwear is topped with a detachable elephant face that takes the shoes from work to play. The Eames Office branding appears on the tongue and insole to commemorate the source.
Image via Reebok
Reebok designer Nathan Chang tells that the team endeavored to honor the Eames Elephant’s childlike qualities by working on a full range “down to infant sizing.” And just like their muse, the sneakers double as both a toy and sculpture.
A different pair pays tribute to the Eames Coloring Toy, with monochromatic illustrations decked all over a deliberately white canvas. In keeping with the theme of the coloring product, this variation is meant to be customizable by the wearer to be transformed into a unique work of art.
Image via Reebok
Perhaps the most unmistakably Eames colorway, though, is the dark brown option with a woodgrain appearance, which is reminiscent of the finishes on the timeless Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman.
Image via Reebok
This is the second collaboration to emerge between Reebok and the Eames Office. However, Chang notes that it contrasts with the first edition in that it pays homage to the body of work created by the design duo, whereas the original was centered on the designers.
Image via Reebok
In true mid-century fashion (pun not intended), the sneakers are boxed in an ‘Eames house’ of their own.
The Eames Office x Reebok Classic Leather collection will debut on June 21 for US$120 a pair.
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http://www.designtaxi.com/news/418736/Reebok-Reimagines-Eames-Elephant-Toy-As-Charming-Assortment-Of-Sneakers/
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