Kerby Jean-Raymond is leaving his post as global creative director of Reebok on March 1 as the brand begins a new chapter with Authentic Brands Group.
The boundary-breaking talent behind the Pyer Moss label will roll out the final offering from Reebok by Pyer Moss Collection 4 in late March.
“I enjoyed my time with Reebok and wish the company well in all of its future endeavors,” said Jean-Raymond in a statement.
The designer’s partnership with the brand began when he introduced the Reebok by Pyer Moss line in 2017, and he later headed up the Reebok Studies division when it launched in 2019. In September 2020, Jean-Raymond was elevated to global creative director, and was charged with making a bigger mark. It was a notable appointment amid a moment of racial reckoning at Adidas, Reebok’s parent company.
Last summer, for one of his initial moves, Jean-Raymond tapped designer Jide Osifeso to join Reebok as the artistic marketing director. The pair rolled out Reebok’s fall ’21 campaign film with the “Reconnect” collection.
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There’s no doubt that Jean-Raymond — who last summer was the first Black American designer to present at Paris Couture Week (he staged the show at the former estate of Madam C.J. Walker in upstate New York) — will continue to make a huge impact on fashion. Since launching Pyer Moss in 2013, Jean-Raymond’s focus on inclusion and authenticity have garnered much attention, and he earned the FN Person of the Year award in 2019.
As for Reebok’s future, ABG’s $2.5 billion buy of the brand will become official in Q1. As that milestone nears, market watchers are eager to understand how ABG will take the brand forward.
CEO Jamie Salter told FN in November that Reebok will see global retail sales of more than $5 billion in 2022 . In the next five years, the goal is to reach $10 billion in annual retail sales globally.
Salter is working alongside ABG president and CMO Nick Woodhouse, as well as ABG partner and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
This month, Reebok laid off 150 employees at its Boston headquarters ahead of the deal’s closing, and now speculation is building about how the Reebok team — and the brand’s culture — will evolve.
