Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond is securing a permanent bag with Reebok.
Jean-Raymond signed on as the artistic director for Reebok Studies ___, a new division that will focus on cultivating new creative talent, according to Refinery 29. The designer began working with Reebok in 2017 to create the Reebok by Pyer Moss collection. They have produced two successful collections. The blank line in the title leaves room for an array of possible collaborators.
“My vision is to not only work with existing Reebok talent and partners; it’s also to champion new ones,” Jean-Raymond said in a press release. “Having my own division at Reebok allows me a way to provide a pathway for bringing in designers, artists and personalities that we feel can marry well with the Reebok brand. As the first designer to ever work with Reebok in this capacity, I feel honored to be a part of such an important moment in the brand's history.”
Although Jean-Raymond’s division will pave the way for new collections, selling shoes isn’t the only priority. He wants to emphasize artistry instead of focusing on dollar signs.
“I felt like there was a lot of focus around general product and not enough focus on the themes and the fashion components that we know to be cool,” Jean-Raymond explained to Hypebeast. “I understood that to ask a company who was in motion with so many projects to sit and focus on other young designers was a lot for them, so I made myself available and said, ‘Let me start sending you new ideas.’”
Reebok’s Vice President of Creative Direction Karen Reuther knows the company chose the right man for the job.
“He’s proven over and over again his ability to envision the future and how it can impact people in the planet,” she said. “That to me is his superpower. He has this unique superpower in design that’s in perfect alignment to who we are as a brand.”
Jean-Raymond has been a diversity champion throughout his career. He was responsible for Lena Waithe’s Met Gala look and has used Pyer Moss to break barriers. When he won a grant from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2018, he urged young designers to be themselves. Jean-Raymond's fame skyrocketed when he premiered a shirt reading "Stop Calling 911 On The Culture" with Pyer Moss' Spring 2018 Collection.
“It took 18 years in the industry and a few years with Pyer Moss, but we are here now and I’m really happy,” Jean-Raymond told Refinery29 at the time. “It means we’re being accepted in this space but most importantly it means we’re being understood, which is what we care most about.” He continued: “This win means the next generation of people of color designers don’t need to conform, they can be themselves, they can be authentic and people will love you for it. I hope we made the barrier of entry less scary for the kids that look like us.”
He will bring the same vision into Reebok Studies.
“This will be important when marketing campaigns come out and when you see who I sign and am able to develop under Reebok Studies___. The goal is to be as inclusive as Pyer Moss,” Jean-Raymond declared.
The first Reebok Studies___ collection will drop in 2020.
