PLEASURES and Reebok Unveil Joy Division-Inspired Club C 85 and Merch Collection
The sneakers and the apparel range utilize artwork and song titles from the British post-punk band’s 1979 LP ‘Unknown Pleasures.’
PLEASURES and British footwear label Reebok have unveiled a special sneaker and apparel collection honoring the influential work of UK-born post-punk band Joy Division. Featuring the iconic artwork and track titles of the band’s 1979 LP Unknown Pleasures, the collaborators have reimagined the Club C 85 and developed a collection of graphic essentials to accompany it.
Cast in a mixture of black suede and woven textile uppers, the Club C 85’s toe box is printed with the famous pulsar waveform illustration from the Unknown Pleasures cover. The small logo window where the typical Reebok logo resides is instead filled in with a discreet black-on-black Joy Division wordmark. On the back heels, the pull tabs are embroidered with the album title in white thread.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, digital youth cultures on platforms like Tumblr were highly nostalgic for the Joy Division era. Interest in the melancholic aesthetic of their projects prompted a resurgence for the band, and particularly for Unknown Pleasures merch. In 2019, PLEASURES celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release with Warner Music UK in a special capsule featuring hoodies, jackets, and t-shirts boasting the recognizable artwork.
The new collection includes more merch, but opts for a physical-ed style uniform set, including black and white tees featuring faded graphics. Taking the band name literally, the playful campaign shows the collegiate graphic saying “PLEASURES JOY DIV.” with the Reebok emblem at the center. On the backsides of the shirts, song titles like “Transmission” and “Disorder” are printed in distressed lettering.
The PLEASURES x Reebok Joy Division collection is set for release on April 4 at the PLEASURES web store.
