KANGHYUK Delivers Wildly Inventive Reebok SRS Sole Fury Collaboration
Transforming airbags into footwear.
Korea’s KANGHYUK has built a cult following around its inventive upcycling, deconstructing and repurposing airbags into each handmade creation. Reebok has taken note, tapping the emerging label for its latest “Advanced Concepts” sneaker, transforming the SRS Sole Fury into a brand new creation.
Unlike 1KCorp’s mecha-inspired Sole Fury, KANGHYUK’s design is nearly bereft of color. Atop the conventional, comfort-minded Sole Fury mid- and outsole, the shoe trades color for texture, with KANGHYUK’s trademark airbag material irregularly arranged across the shoe’s upper, complete with tufts of fabric jutting off the hand-stitched panels. Dynamic lacing and an ever-so-elongated tongue allow for a sturdy fit.
“We designed the KANGHYUK x Reebok Advanced Concepts Sole Fury by using parts of the car airbags material we use in our ready-to-wear collection,” KANGHYUK founders Kanghyuk Choi and Sanglak Shon explained. “Pieces of the airbag have been patch-worked together randomly over 3 layers, where the under layer forms the body, on the middle layer a long leftover [piece of] airbag material is attached – folded and laser cut. Finally, on the upper layer, the parts are stitched together using the brand’s signature contrast stitching. Each shoe has its own individual number to reflect the uniqueness of the hand-making process.”
Expect KANGHYUK’s extremely limited Sole Fury to hit LA’s H.Lorenzo on May 24, complete with an immersive installation and event from 6-9 PM the same day. Next, the shoes will arrive at BOON THE SHOP, Dover Street Market London, Leclaireur, Machine-A and Trading Museum in mid-June. Get up close with the sneaker below.
For more progressive Reebok designs, take a look at Pyer Moss’ head-turning Experiment 3 sneaker.
