Reebok International Limited is a sportswear brand and clothing manufacturer founded in England in 1958, an extension of the J.W. Foster and Sons Sporting Goods Company. Between 1958 and 1986, Reebok used Union Jack Flag in the brand’s logo to show the company's origin. In 2005. The company headquarters is in Seaport District, Boston, Massachusetts, with regional offices in Montreal, Mexico City, Hong Kong and Amsterdam. Reebok was bought by another German Sporting Goods Company called Adidas.
Joseph William Foster started making shoes at the age of 14 in 1895 in his bedroom, above his father’s sweetshop. He created his earliest spiked running shoes while in Boston, England. In 1900, he founded his own company, J.W Foster, after the idea progressed and later changed the name to J.W foster and Sons after he joined his Sons. He opened a factory that became famous for producing athletes’ running shoes.
In Boston in 1958, two of Foster’s grandsons, Jeff and Joe Foster, formed another company: Reebok (a companion company). The name was in the dictionary, an Afrikaans name for a type of African antelope, grey rhebok. In 1979, Paul Fireman, an American businessman, noticed Reebok at the National Sporting Goods of America (NSGA) show in Chicago and offered a deal to distribute and license the brand in the United States. This division became Reebok USA Ltd.
In 1982, Reebok developed the first athletic shoes for women: Reebok Freestyle. The company expanded to deal with aerobics, tennis, basketball and running shoes in the mid to late 80s. Reebok changed its logo in 1986 from the Union Jack logo to the Vector logo, which signified the company's transition into footwear performance brands.
In 2000, Reebok made a licensing agreement for 10 years with the NFL to sell and manufacture NFL-licensed merchandise like footwear and uniforms for all 32 teams. Reebok company partnered with CrossFit and came up with co-branded apparel and footwear. Reebok has released many iconic sneakers and apparel lines since the 90 to date.