CONCEPTS is one of the shops that present us with attractive and highly anticipated collabs. A few days after the release of its collection imagined with VANS, the Boston store announces the launch of the famous Reebok Question Mid « Draft Class » unveiled almost a year ago (article available HERE).
This exclusive shoe celebrates the year 1996 in all its glory.
1996 is the year Allen Iverson was promoted, his first signature shoe and the opening of the first Concepts store.
As a reminder, the 1996 Draft was a pivotal moment in the recent history of the NBA. It introduced new talents such as Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. More than a third of the first-round picks went on to become All-Stars, bringing a youthful flair to the competition.
That same year, Allen « The Answer » Iverson was able to develop his first signature shoe and Concepts opened its doors for the first time, bringing together the worlds of street, skate and fashion in a unique retail experience.
Tarek Hassan, Founder and CEO of Concepts explained about the collab : « After partnering with Reebok in the past, we have come full circle, but this is also the biggest partnership in our history. The significance of the Question model goes beyond design. Both Iverson and Reebok took a risk on each other, and Concepts never took the easy way out. »
The Concepts x Reebok Question Mid sports a bold multi-colored look that pays homage to the class of ’96, the early days of the Boston shop and the personality of Allen Iverson.
Tarek Hassan commented : « The shoe design is inspired by Iverson’s history as a rookie and his outstanding recruiting class, but the hidden – or not so hidden – meaning is that it’s overtly strong, a nod to AI’s style. We couldn’t collaborate on Question without inserting some aspect of the impact he had off the field. We focused on the risk taker, so it’s not for the faint of heart. »
The sneaker consists of an upper mixing leather with synthetic and textile. These include Kobe’s purple and gold Lakers on the sides, Steve Nash’s gradient Suns coupled with the iconic embroidered Vector side logo, Marcus Camby’s thin Raptors stripes, Antoine Walker’s Celtics green and Grizzlies blue. The shoe is dressed in different colored leather overlays and a red suede toe box. Branding details appear in gold : the vector logo on the top of the blue tongue and the co-branding, Concepts combined with Reebok, on the heel. The look is completed with an insole adorned with photos of Allen Iverson smiling along with the phrase « Have You Seen Him », a white midsole and an icy outsole. To ensure the reference to this draft, the part of the outsole coming up on the heel is decorated with the numbers 9 on one side and 6 on the other.
This pair comes with 2 extra sets of laces, green and blue, and in a retro box with a description imitating a sports newspaper article.
Note that this collaborative pair is featured in the lookbook on the feet of the legendary Allen « The Answer » Iverson himself !
The Concepts x Reebok Question Mid « Draft Class » will be released on October 21, 2022 for $170 exclusively in stores and online at cncpts.com. It will then be available worldwide on October 22, 2022, at select retailers and at reebok.com.
