Reebok and contemporary artist Tyrrell Winston have confirmed the release of their highly anticipated footwear collaboration, the Tyrrell Winston x Reebok Club C (GZ1567, $120) and Question Mid (GZ1565, $120). The collection is available beginning May 6 exclusively HERE before its wider global release on May 13 from Reebok and select retailers.
Known for his found-object artworks featuring deflated basketballs, broken nets, and cigarette butt compositions, Tyrrell Winston’s art is both endearing and thought-provoking. Through Winston’s collaboration with Reebok, he expresses his love for heritage and basketball on the iconic Question Mid and his favorite model, the Club C.
“First and foremost, both shoes needed to be something my friends and I could wear every day—nothing over the top, subtle details,” commented Winston. “When it comes to footwear, I prefer it simple and straightforward. But on a more abstract level, these shoes were about ongoing conversations with friends and the idea of envisioning oneself as a racehorse with blinders on.”
The result: two clean yet evoking iterations of iconic Reebok heritage sneakers, each featuring pony hair elements, Winston’s autograph on the outsole, and subtle nods to the artist’s New York doodles or “Noodles.”
“Club C has been a part of my life for a very long time and are my go-to studio shoe—I’ve documented the wear of various pairs of Club C in the studio over the last few years, so this shoe is truly an extension of my work,” continued Winston. “The Question Mid, well it’s a pinch-myself moment. Iverson’s cultural impact on and off the court is remarkable, almost godly, defying stamina and style. Both silhouettes are about references to my work, but they themselves are not art—on a certain level I look at them as mediums.”
Highlighting the collaboration, Winston, alongside creative director Drew Villani, took care in building a narrative through content. “The Journey”—inclusive of a short film and in-environment photography—observes the concept of ‘vision vs. sight’ via two interconnecting stories that explore different methods of travel—traditional and modern.
Within the story, Question Mid is captured on a horse ranch positioning the equines as key to the infrastructure of many societies. Club C is captured on the Staten Island Ferry or “iron horse,” a daily form of modern transport that Winston used in the early days, while pursuing his dream.
“Racehorses have blinders to keep them focused on what’s ahead, not the horses to their right or left. We as people often need our own hypothetical blinders when we’re pursuing something. We should not look left or right—look straight ahead and go.”
In closing, Winston shared thoughts of gratitude: “My 16- or 17-year-old self is doing backflips, and so in my 36-year old self. It’s exciting to be a part of Reebok’s history.”
The Tyrrell Winston x Reebok Club C (GZ1567, $120) and Question Mid (GZ1565, $120) are available beginning May 6 exclusively from their website before their wider global release on May 13 from Reebok’s website and select retailers.
About Tyrrell Winston
Tyrrell Winston is known for his assemblages of old basketballs that he frequently arranges into grids, so they become studies of material, culture and history. Self-taught, Winston began his art practice creating collages using paper scraps he found while roaming the streets of New York City, where he had moved to study arts administration at Staten Island’s Wagner College. He also collected debris like basketballs and cigarette butts, both of which now serve as foundational material for his mixed-media works. Winston, who has built a large following on social media, also creates freestanding sculptures, wall hangings from recycled basketball nets, and paintings of famous athletes’ signatures. His artworks all explore what the artist calls “embedded history”: the narratives perpetually lodged in other people’s discarded objects.
