By LoffMusic
October 2025
If you grew up with the metallic sound of the PlayStation logo turning on your TV, this release will tug at your heartstrings.
Reebok and Sony have teamed up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first console with a capsule collection that is pure 1995: three sneakers, three countries, and tons of nostalgia turned into design.
A global tribute to a pixelated generation
The story begins with a direct message.
Mubi Ali, global head of product marketing at Reebok, contacted the Sony team in the UK via LinkedIn. “I knew PlayStation had collaborated with other brands before, but never with a sports firm of this caliber. I proposed something quickly, and within days we were dreaming big,” Ali says with a chuckle.
Sony had a deadline: September 29, the exact day the console was launched in the UK in 1995. Since then, the clock was ticking, and teams from both brands set out to relive an era when the word “gaming” still smelled of the future.
Three countries, three iconic silhouettes
Each pair represents an original PlayStation launch region and captures its local spirit:
- 🇯🇵 InstaPump Fury 94 (Japan): futuristic and bold, just like the country that gave life to the console.
- 🇺🇸 Pump Omni Zone II (USA): basketball and pop culture DNA, as American as an arcade in the 90s.
- 🇬🇧 Workout Plus (UK): sober, urban, with that British feel that mixes pubs and nightclubs.
All three are limited to 750 numbered units and will be sold exclusively at Beams (Japan), CNCPTS (USA) and END (UK), with prices ranging from £150 to ¥37,000.
The level of detail borders on obsessive. The tongue sports the classic PlayStation logo in its four colors, and the mythical “Pump” button adopts the iconography of the controller symbols -◯ ✕ □ △-.
The lanyard closure is shaped like a PS1 memory card (yes, that gray one you used to blow on when it wouldn’t load the save). Each box, moreover, replicates the console’s original packaging, reinterpreted for each region.
More than sneakers: shared culture
Designer Joe Carlson, who was responsible for the project within Reebok, says his goal was not to make a “PlayStation-inspired” sneaker, but something that captured the energy of the time.
“PlayStation changed the way we understood entertainment, just as Reebok helped change the way we dressed for sports. I wanted that crossover to be felt: that of those of us who grew up with both worlds.”
And he succeeded.
The Pump Omni Zone IIs look like they’re straight out of a 1996 catalog, but if you look closely there are minimalist details that scream PS5. It’s a balance between nostalgia and contemporary design, between the past and what’s still loading on the screen.
A launch with the soul of a cult
In a world saturated with collaborations, Reebok × PlayStation 30th Anniversary has something different: an honest story behind it.
No shouting, no artificial hype. Just two brands that understand the value of looking back with fondness.
“We wanted the collection to make people smile,” Ali says. “That those who played with Play 1 would recognize themselves in these pairs. That young people would see where it all came from.”
And beyond leather, logos or prices, this collaboration is about something else: sleepless nights playing Tekken, the first DualShock, that electric buzz that still makes you feel that something is about to start.
Launch data
- InstaPump Fury 94 (Japan) – Beams – ¥ 37 000 JPY – 24 October
- Pump Omni Zone II (USA) – CNCPTS – US $ 220 – October 17th
- Workout Plus (UK) – END. – £ 150 – 15 October
Each model comes in its own box inspired by the original PlayStation 1 design.
And yes, all units are numbered. If you get a pair, you’ll probably have a piece of history on your hands.
Conclusion: from commands to steps
Thirty years later, PlayStation no longer needs to prove anything, and neither does Reebok.
But this encounter – between the console that changed pop culture and a brand that defined street style – proves that nostalgia, when done with head and love, can still be a trend-setter.
At a time when the future looks like an infinite loading screen, few gestures are as brave as pressing “Start” again.
