Reebok, LF's Profitable Brand... Thriving Amid Retro Trend

Club C85 Surpasses 50,000 Units Sold
Synergy Effect Rides Retro and Y2K Trends

Reebok's flagship sneaker model, 'Club C85,' has surpassed cumulative sales of 50,000 pairs since its re-release in South Korea. It has been five months since the domestic fashion company LF acquired the product license and domestic sales rights for Reebok from the global brand management company Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and began full-scale marketing. LF attributes this success to the synergy created by the recent retro trend and the 'Y2K (2000s)' craze sweeping the country.

According to LF on the 13th, the cumulative sales of Reebok Club C85 exceeded 50,000 pairs from October last year to March this year. In the fashion industry, a model that achieves cumulative sales of 100,000 pairs is generally considered a 'hit product.' Considering that LF signed the domestic licensing contract for Reebok with ABG in April last year and re-released the Club C85 in October, six months later, it has played a significant role as a 'cash cow brand' in about five months.

Reebok 'Club C85'
Photo by LF

The Club C85 is Reebok's representative tennis court shoe launched in 1985, embodying the classic sensibility and vintage atmosphere of the 1980s. LF, taking into account the retro trend and Y2K craze among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), has made the Club C85 a key item and intensified various marketing activities that showcase the brand's authenticity.

Notably, in October last year, LF opened a pop-up store themed around the Club C85 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, and in December, it attracted attention with an unusual collaborative marketing campaign with the handmade burger brand 'Fault Burger.' Approximately 5,000 people visited the pop-up store in Seongsu-dong over a week, with about 70% of them being from the MZ generation.

An LF official said, "Reebok, with a solid history and story spanning over 100 years, is a brand that evokes nostalgia for Generation X and sparks interest among the MZ generation. Since the Club C85 has achieved visible results in a short period, we expect to reach cumulative sales of 100,000 pairs within a year of its release and will introduce more diverse marketing activities to the domestic market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.