Reebok

IN 1958, JEFF AND JOE FOSTER, the grandsons of track spike pioneer J.W. Foster, set out to build upon their grandfather’s legacy by launching their own footwear business.

Two decades later, Reebok running shoes made an immediate splash in the U.S. market with multiple fivestar ratings from Runner’s World and the 1979 creation of the Reebok Racing Club, which gave runners discounted shoes in return for wearing the brand’s red, white and blue singlet during races. When Brit Steve Jones shattered the world record at the 1984 Chicago Marathon wearing Reeboks, it further heightened the brand’s running cred.

Reebok loomed large in the running space well into the 1990s, including serving as the official sponsor of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. After a brief hiatus from the sport in the early 2010s, Reebok returned to run specialty stores in 2017 with the award-winning Floatride Run.

buttery soft single-layer sock line called Run Luxe in 2022 to kick off its development of single-layer styles.

The company, which is currently weaving in a fourth generation of Wrightenberry family members, constructs its entire made-inthe-USA product line from Repreve, a sustainable polyester crafted out of recycled plastic bottles.

“We like having control of what we produce and the ability to be a fast mover for the market and our customers,” Wrightenberry says.