Reebok Reimagined

How wunderkind creative director THOMAS STEINBRÜCK is revolutionising an iconic sportswear brand...

- Andrew Porter

Thomas Steinbrück is ready for whatever comes next. The German designer studied at the top French design schools and launched an eponymous clothing line that’s been featured in stores like Barneys, Henri Bendel, and Bergdorf Goodman. He’s worked with Geoffrey Beene and Alber Elbaz, overseen a complete overhaul of the Kenneth Cole brand, and was entrusted to oversee the transformation of Porsche Design into a world-class luxury lifestyle brand. Now, his sights are set on rebuilding Reebok, the oldest manufacturer of athletic footwear in the world, dating back to 1895. The European sportswear giant’s creative director spoke with MAXIM about the challenges of his new role and how he plans to conquer the global marketplace.

ON BECOMING A DESIGNER: Design has always been important to me. It wasn’t really about fashion. When I was a teenager, I didn’t know if I wanted to be a product designer, a car designer, or a fashion designer.

Somehow fashion became the more interesting thing for me. Nobody in my family is in design, and they were all like, Oh, my God. You’re insane. Why do you want to do that?