A Closer Look: Bodega x Reebok Club C

Celebrating our 15 year anniversary while commemorating our long-running partnership with Reebok, Bodega is set to simultaneously release two versions of the Club C.

One of our earliest collaborators, Reebok has been supporting Bodega since the very beginning. From our unique iterations of the Pump and Instapump Fury to the Daytona DMX and Classic Leather, Bodega has already collaborated with Reebok on 13 different releases over the years. The Club C and the Club C Legacy will mark #14 and #15.

In addition to being our first time taking on the classic Club C 85, Bodega will also be one of the first brands ever to collaborate on the all new Club C Legacy. This unique dual output speaks directly to Bodega’s continued reverence for the past and fearless push toward the future.

Of course, the Club C 85 needs no introduction. Brought into the marketplace as a comfortable tennis shoe with an understated design respectful of tennis associations’s strict dress codes, the silhouette would in time be embraced both on and off the court, by athletes and casual loafers combined. In a life of constant change and fleeting trends, consumers began taking pride in the silhouette’s longstanding design and unwavering style. Originally known as the Club Champion, the sneaker has remained largely unchanged since its release 36 years ago. In fact, the biggest changes have come by way of simple rebranding, using the truncated name of the model and the small addition of the word “Classics” to the tongue tag. To say the Club C is a retro shoe just wouldn’t be right. The fact is, it never went out of style or circulation.

Bodega approaches the Club C with subtle changes and a unique colorway, while keeping the silhouette’s understated charm at the forefront of the design. With a misty grey nubuck upper and contrasting chocolate brown overlays on the heel, collar, and single stripe, the traditional branding with the Union Jack and accompanying Reebok text remains true to form on on the lateral side while the medial adds a hanging leather tag with Bodega’s serif logo stamped in gold foil. The simple comforts of the OG terry cloth liner remain in matching brown while a translucent gum outsole and purple insoles gold-stamped with” Bodega” on the left and “15 years” on the right complete the redesign.

In contrast to the Club C 85, the Club C Legacy, unveiled by Reebok earlier this year, offers up a bolder, more modernized version of the tried and true classic— and Bodega’s iteration accordingly follows suit. With the new style defined by a textured, mixed material upper and its clear EVA outsole, Bodega’s version features a primarily dark brown suede upper with tonal elements provided by the combined use of synthetic leather and ripstop mesh. Bodega’s gold stamped branding again appears on a leather hang tag, this time facing outward and bringing even more attention to the revamped uppers. The overlay on the heel mimics the one on the Club C 85 while a triangular swatch of purple suede adds a bold accent and complements the hits of purple and orange under the eyelets. A translucent brown EVA outsole marks one of the shoes most distinct differences while red insoles with the same gold stamped branding finishes off the new design.

Each pair comes with additional laces and a blank co-branded brass key with the words “Cannot be Duplicated” printed in raised engraving.