Helen Kirkum x Reebok Advanced Concepts
20 Handmade Pairs of the Zig Kinetica II
Helen Kirkum is widely considered a pioneer of the hacked and deconstructed aesthetic within the sneaker industry, and in the vanguard of the sustainable footwear movement. This season she continues her partnership with Reebok to reimagine the Zig.
This one-off release consists of 20 unique pairs, each one handmade from repurposed Reebok sneakers by Kirkum in her East London studio. First collaborating in 2019 as part of Reebok’s Advanced Concepts program, where Kirkum applied her signature re-constructed aesthetic to the Sole Fury, recrafting 25 pairs from disused samples of the Pump Fury, Runner 96, Opus 3D, and Ventilator.
The Helen Kirkum x Reebok Advanced Concepts Zig is a continuation of this project in both concept and creation, as Kirkum has crafted all 20 pairs with leftover material from the initial Sole Fury collaboration. This creates a cohesive story between the two collaborations while staying true to Kirkum’s practice of imbuing sneakers with stories of their origins and, in doing so, breathing new life into the discarded.
“The sneakers are a story not only through Reebok silhouettes but also of our journey so far with Reebok, and a history of our collaboration,” shares Kirkum. “They carry memories of the previous collaboration whilst inviting you in to be a part of the next one, celebrating wearing and making in a playful way.”
Inspired by the Zig’s skeletal-like sole, Kirkum reimagined the Zig’s upper as if a cage, overlaying and overlapping materials so that the lining was left exposed in parts. Each pair is unique, handcrafted by Kirkum in London with the pieces available, and mounted on the sole at Reebok’s headquarters in Boston. In some instances, there may be slight differences between the right and left sneaker, and in the case of pair 18, a variation in the pattern as the medial eyestay component had to be replaced for a completely different piece.
Kirkum’s work is as much about the product as it is the stories it tells, and accompanying each pair is a limited-edition catalogue created with London agency The Midnight Club, as well as a hand-written note from Kirkum sharing a personal insight into the making of that particular pair.
The exclusive collaboration will be available in US 9/UK 8/EU 42 for £350 exclusively through helenkirkumzig.com on Thursday, February 25th at 15:00 p.m. (GMT).