Rapper and businessman, AKA broke records when his custom-made Reebok sneakers sold out in 10 minutes.
The SneAKA dropped on Saturday, October 26 at Fourways, Mall of Africa, Menlyn, Canal Walk and
online.
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How can you be a boss pushing product that don’t even have your name on it? BOSS UP. #TheSNEAKA 🇿🇦 Thank You @reeboksouthafrica for having the guts, the vision and the execution. We challenge other sportswear brands in this country to do the same!!!! This moment is bigger than just AKA.
A post shared by
AKA(@akaworldwide) on Oct 27, 2019 at 6:42am PDT
Brian Jackson, brand activation manager at Reebok South Africa, expressed his excitement at #TheSneAKA selling out so quickly, with fans desperate to get their feet into a pair written
"Supa Mega" in bold.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/ReebokClassics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@reebokclassicswill drop on October the 26th ... many years in the making ..
#TheSneAKA🇿🇦 ... From AFRICA, to the WORLD 🌍
pic.twitter.com/cge11yA9Y1
— AKA (@akaworldwide)
“This collaboration is two years in the making, and both Reebok and AKA have poured an unprecedented amount of passion, determination and devotion into the project. The brand has partnered with celebrities in other countries like the US with great success, but this is the first time we have done it with a South African artist.
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After much back and forth, getting #The SneAKA just right according to Reebok and AKA’s exacting standards, the shoe is ready to go into production. • Production is a multi-continent, multi-skillset choreography. • Lou Alberghini, Reebok Speciality Cobbler weighs in with his 40 years of experience – “What many people don’t realize is how much ‘human involvement’ still goes in to the production of a premium shoe like The SneAKA. Of course there’s machinery that punches out the 200-odd panels and shapes that form a shoe, and others that stitch them. But each sneaker is still hand assembled, and hand finished”. • Lou’s crash-course on what happens once the design of The SneAKA is locked goes like this – “The Pattern Engineer creates the pattern from AKA’s design. The Pattern Engineer has to make sure that everything fits. They cut the pieces out of the various leathers and materials, and lay them out like the pieces of a puzzle. They’ll then go to a Stitcher. The Stitcher then sorts them into their correct stitching order. They’re also looking for any parts that need to be ‘skived off’ [clipped/trimmed]. Once the form of the shoe is sound, they go ahead and stitch it.” • Lou continues “To stitch a pair of Classic Leather uppers like AKA’s design, if one person is doing the whole job, it will take them around six hours to stitch one pair. There’s a lot of love in our shoes!” • TheSneAKA is a highly exclusive limited edition product. Only 600 pairs are being made. Each box is individually numbered and signed by AKA. Each pair comes with a certificate of authenticity. The SneAKA will be available for purchase on October 26th at Reebok.co.za. A limited number will also be available for purchase in Reebok stores. • The SneAKA will be releasing from Fourways; Mall of Africa; Menlyn; Canal Walk and reebok.co.za || The SneAKA will be available in sizes UK4-12 and buyers will be limited to 3x pairs.
A post shared by
Reebok South Africa(@reeboksouthafrica) on Oct 22, 2019 at 3:00am PDT
"We were a bit unsure about how South Africans would respond, but we needn’t have worried; we are blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response from Reebok fans," said Jackson.
AKA has also gifted his friends with the SneAKA, including Tshepi Vundla, Da Les, Nomoozlie, Tony Montana, Siya Kolisi, Thando Thabethe, Kim Jayde, and Fikile Mbalula- naming but a few.
In other news, AKA's multiple singles have also reached diamond and platinum status.
IOL
