Reebok's Battle-Scarred 'Alien' Sneakers Are All-New Stompers
Reebok's footwear collaborations just got even more extra! Well, terrestrial, that is.
Reebok Alien Romulus sneaker is the sportswear brand's latest tie-in with the Alien franchise, releasing alongside new film Alien: Romulus. An expertly fatigued take on Reebok's BB 4000 basketball sneaker, the Alien Romulus shoes have been to the moon and back, or at least that's what they look like.
In fact, the purposely scuffed and mud-drenched exterior mirrors the wear of the Alien Romulus shoes worn by the film's protagonists.
Borderline-destroyed shoes are nothing new, as pre-ruined footwear has been all the (highly contested) rage from brands like Golden Goose and Balenciaga, which once stirred controversy with a pre-shredded canvas sneaker .
But while those brands were striking more of a chord with the too-cool-to-care audiences, Reebok's Alien Romulus shoe is meant to resemble the results of a brutal bug battle in line with the shenanigans in the film.
Releasing August 9 for $170 on the Reebok website, the Reebok Alien Romulus fuses two passionate factions of the population —film geeks and sneakerheads — for a mashup of stan culture the likes of which may sound familiar.
Reebok and Alien first explored this oddly captivating intersection in the '80s with a limited edition release of the Alien high-top Stompers worn in the film. Since then, there have been several drops of the Reebok sneakers worn in Ridley Scott's action classic.
Various Alien-inspired Reebok sneakers have released in several character-based styles, including the grail-level high-tops worn by Sigourney Weaver as the inimitable Ripley and mid-top sneakers inspired by Lance Henriksen's android, Bishop.
Judging by online forums and Reddit threads, it doesn't sound crazy to suggest that fans of Alien shoe releases have a passion and dedication similar to that of the Back to the Future sneakerheads, sans the five-figure price tag.
With over forty years of flick-inspired footwear, Reebok and Alien's ability to create and maintain fanfare makes sense.
That is to say, this is not the first time Reebok has dabbled in matters beyond this world. Just recently, Reebok pulled inspiration from NASA for a similarly space-age basketball shoe.
As such, it feels like the NASA x Reebok BB4000 II was a palette-prepping appetizer for the full send into space-based sneakers.
