The sneaker market has been on a wildly turbulent ride over the last decade, particularly the past five years where the popularity of collecting coveted releases has gone through the roof.

With many brands, artists, personalities, there has been a heightened focus for creative collaboration that sparks interest which capitalizes product sales and partnering brand values.

To leave the word “hype" out of this conversation, as well as with writing an article on sneaker collaborations would in most instances make no sense at all, but we’ve all become accustomed to it. We all know the game - fair play.

But amongst all of the noise, there is a new resurgence of a trend and mindset that brings subtlety, the toned-down vibes, back to the sneaker and streetwear culture, without representing a boring cliché of an all too serious and obsessed consumer or even the bland normcore taste.

After being inundated with a tsunami of collaborative products, we can now see a muted downturn, with brands of late seemingly going back to basics and taking the time to craft and carve out a story and product that will stand the test of time. The invested focus attracts the young consumer that begins to buy into these products and stories for their intended worth. It begins an organic relationship that involves curiosity, yearning to learn, and taking pride in its ownership.

The sneaker community has always been divided with the older heads being into the more sophisticated products and the newer generation who have rather been aiming for quick and fast access to products and stories that have an immediate impact on their style and social media likes and followership.

Lately, we see this balance shifting, creating a young consumer who bounces between both sides: Young sneakerheads and streetwear fans that have had their fair share of hype, but through focusing on it long enough have also amassed knowledge of brands, designers, fashion labels, movements, music, street culture and so on.

Deep dive into the interesting corners of Instagram and you’ll find a community of people who mix better known with lesser-known outdoor brands, functional clothing (that has nothing to do with the Instagram hashtag #techwear), Japanese brands (traditional & non-traditional), with fewer logos, less talking, less flexing. From this, we get a good taste of style and the sense of styling but with the same interests in music and culture as the rest of the market.

Underneath the modern-day social media underbelly of “drip”, “clout chasing” and brands that create product solely for Instagram popularity, there is a youth audience that uses and fuses these tools and gimmicks in a smarter sense, a rougher sense, making it all a bit more real and tasteful.

There are not too many brands that can cater to this new generation of modern outdoor brand wearing, street smart, low-key youth.

As most brands on the collaboration train are, they invest deeply in finding the next big, loud, and in your face collaboration. Their product usually does not speak to this audience. It’s too loud, too visible, and ultimately “too easy” for them to wear and to show their elaborative styling skills and fashion knowledge.

Just like a consumer base that bounces from trends, hype, and clout to sophisticated stories and products, brands and theory collaborations need to balance between both worlds.

A brand that has always managed to transcend cultures and mastered the tight rope between classic, toned down product and attention-grabbing collaborations is Reebok Classics.

With their recent collaborations with Needles, nanamica, Jjjjound, and Awake NYC, they are part of the subtle, timeless, classic essence of their product, but on the flip side at the same time they are subtly providing the clout, hype and what you might call the ingredients that make a collaboration go big these days. They are simply doing these collaborations in style and executing them as low key and as calmly as possible, You won't hear too much-unneeded noise and you will see the right product on the right people, leaving everything feeling like it happened organically.

Responsible for their great take and direction is Reebok’s Senior Global Product Marketing Manager Leo Gamboa, a veteran in the industry who has been around from the early days when the phrase “sneaker collaboration” simply did not exist and was primarily being defined. In the early 2000s Leo was part of a shoelace brand that collaborated with many well know footwear companies as well as most notably producing product with Kaws streetwear label, Original Fake. Before the move to Reebok, Leo also served as a brand manager and creative for the New Jersey-based world-known Packer Shoes, creating many of the collaborations that we have loved and cherished.

Reebok’s latest collaborations and their upcoming projects are turning the brand into a highly interesting option for the coming years, giving it potential for even more success in a post-COVID market.

The industry and its audience always win when individuals with a background like Leo are pulling the right strings by bringing in knowledge and context all the while fusing it with contemporary values and trends.

We sat down with Leo Gamboa to get an insight into his craft and vision as well as all things Reebok.

Hey Leo, can you please introduce yourself to the Sabukaru Network?

Hi, my name is Leo Gamboa. Born in NY – Grew up in Queens and currently residing in Boston where I work at Reebok. I have been working here for the past 2.5 years on Global collaborations in the streetwear space.

In the early 2000s, you worked with a laces brand called Starks and went on to produce collaborations with the likes of Marc Jacobs and Kaws eponymous label, Original Fake. What was it like building a business like this from the ground up in a landscape that was only starting to create a space for, and get to grips with the value of collaborations and collectors?

Yes.. Great time in the sneaker world. Definitely a lot different than today but had a ton of opportunities to jump into the industry with some new and fresh ideas. My longtime friend Alex Dymond approached me around 2005 on the idea of Starks. We both had similar love for sneakers and design and decided to go for it. We created some cool collaborations with the likes of Burton, Nike, Timberland and Original Fake. Some would say it was a bit ahead of its time but it’s great to look back at those amazing products..

Before finding yourself over at Reebok, you spent some time as a brand manager and a creative lead over at Packer in New Jersey. Every sneakerhead across the world has come across their name in some way, shape or form through the many collaborations over the years. Potentially been put on through one of the projects you worked on yourself, what’s your favourite project from your time at Packer and what was it like?

Michael Packer is a longtime friend. I have known him since the store opened around 2004. He is one of the pioneers of the sneaker industry and some will say laid the ground work for what we have today. The Packer store was a fun place to be. During my time there, we put together a bunch of fun activations and collaborations. My favorite was definitely the Packer x Reebok Club C Marcial. This project was one of my last works before moving to Reebok. Shouts to Aaron, Victor and Brit who helped bring that project to life!

Can you tell us a little bit about your moves and work at Reebok, what are the daily challenges and the joy of working for such this iconic brand?

Reebok has always been a favorite brand of mine since Junior Highschool. Growing up I wore Classic Club C’s as my everyday shoe. Got the photos to prove it as well haha..

It’s been somewhat of a dream job in the sense of being able to work with some of the best brands in the world and to bring these stories to everyone.

The history of Reebok is very deep, so having the opportunity to educate people on what we have done in the past for sports and music, among many other things, is amazing. Reebok was once considered the #1 brand in the world. So, it’s a mission of ours to tell those stories and to share all of the great products we have to offer today.

Streetwear sneaker collaborations have become the hot zone in the industry with many buzzwords flying around right now, like hype, high fashion designer, rap artist endorsements, and many more. Where do you position Reebok and find the most excitement in between all this noise in the collaboration market?

Historically, Reebok has been a big part of collaborations in music and high fashion. Reebok was the first to approach high fashion designers such as Chanel, for example, with whom the Chanel Fury was created.

That was probably the most iconic sneaker-high-fashion collaboration to date, which I’m hoping one day we can revisit.

In the music space, Reebok launched Pharrell BBC, Jay Z’s S. Carter and 50 Cent’s G-Unit shoe. These first-of-their kind projects definitely paved the way for the polarizing collaborations of today such as Dior x Jordan, Travis Scott x Nike and others.

What is the formula behind a good collaboration in your eyes?

The key formula in my eyes is organic connections between the brands. For all the collaborations going to market today, brands need to understand that the consumer is very intelligent and will look past anything that feels forced and or simply doesn’t make sense. Picking partners that have had a connection to the brand in the past or are connected in the present is the best way to start a conversation.

Take us through a typical collaboration process from your perspective. How does collaboration come alive from start to finish?

Typical timelines are about one year from first conversation where the partnership is confirmed and the program is determined. From there, it’s all about working collaboratively with members of both brands to bring the product to life. It’ s a team effort from start to finish!

The importance of which artist is wearing, or designing a shoe has become almost more important than the contextual background and the design. At the same time, we see designers like Steven Smith still having a huge impact on today’s design and industry. Where do you see the market right now and what’s your take on collaborations and the boom of them since sneaker collecting become a mainstream craze?

Hmm. Very good question.. Currently the market seems to be very influenced by the key players in the industry. Trends are taking over and consumers are responding very quickly to the rotation of product. Trends circle back around and sometimes it takes validation by a major influencer, celebrity or moment for the market to finally recognize its value. Key designers will always be a key component of this process and we see this more and more now as products of history are reintroduced to a new consumer today.

Reebok has collaborated with many brands last year and produced some incredible collaborations. Is it possible for you to pick a top 3 from the past year?

Hmmmm, Top 3 from last year? That’s a tough one, to be honest. I would say all of them are great. They were each so different, and that’s the point!

One of the most exciting silhouettes on the market right now is the Beatnik in our eyes. A unique shoe/sandal that dares to be different. What makes this silhouette so special for you?

Yes. Love the Beatnik. Such a special model in my eyes. This is an original model for Reebok and it’s been awesome to see how well received its been, especially in the the past few seasons. I have always appreciated a great comfy shoe. The Beatnik and Birkentstock Boston are my favorites.

The 2018 Needles Beams Beatnik was A super rare and lowkey release with not many pairs actually releasing. What was the thought process behind that collaboration, and will we be able to see more Beatnik sandals in 2020 and beyond?

This project was one of my favorites for 2018. Great connection between Beams and Needles to bring this to life exclusively in Japan and at Nepenthes NYC.

Definitely one of the biggest sleepers Reebok has launched. 2020 will be a great year for the Beatnik. Some wonderful packs are in motion and I think everyone will be really happy with the final product.

When will we see a global release of the Beatnik, and what can you tell us about its teased Cordura Feature?

2020 is the first Global launch on the Beatnik. I can’t get into much detail but some good ones are on the way.

With your recent Nepenthes and Nanamica collaborations, you showed one of Reeboks greatest strengths and powers in our opinion: Accessible High quality and Low-Key-ness. Would you agree with us by saying that this sneaker world could need a bit more of low-key moves here and there?

This is a tricky one and can be viewed in many different ways. It’s always amazing to create these low-key projects with amazing partners. One of my favorite things about Reebok is how we’ve taken chances with upcoming brands such as Palace and Bape. We were the first to collaborate with them and it’s a breath of fresh air to deliver newness to the market with up and coming partners. Moving forward, we will always try to make these low-key moves alongside the bigger drops across seasons.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the future of Reebok collaborations, what can we expect from you guys?

We are currently building for SS21 and looking very strong with some carry-over partners as well as some unexpected surprises. We want to keep the excitement rolling season per season in addition to our key brand partners!

And what are your favourite Reebok Silhouettes, and is there any iconic shoe you would love to work on?

So many good ones. My favorite model is the Club C. The Reebok archive is a special place. There are so many wonderful models from the past that would resonate now and in the years to come. Amamarillo 2 and some of the Past Reebok ERS running models would be my models of choice.

Leo, what is your stay-home rotation at the moment?

Currently its Reebok Beatnik, Reebok Bolton and Birkenstock Boston.

Any last words?

Wear what you like…. Don’t let trend’s and resale value dictate what you want to wear. Own your style and be confident in the decisions you make.

Thank you a lot for your time!

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AUTHORS: ADRIAN BIANCO, STEPHEN DONALD
JON WALLNER, HUSSAIN RAZVI