Instapump Fury gets a Boost upgrade
Asian favourite and flagship Reebok product the Instapump Fury. Which first debuted in 1994 has been able to maintain its relevance over two decades. This has been in no small part down to the continuous popularity it has enjoyed in the Far East. Allowing its status to grow to that of a style icon. Growing up in England since roughly the same period in the mid-1990s everyone I knew repped Air Max 90s at some point. The Instapump Fury is the Asian equivalent, and now in 2019, it is getting an upgrade. Reebok is teaming up with their parent company Adidas and enlisting the assistance of the much-heralded Boost technology to combine on the brand new Instapump Fury Boost.
Originally designed by Steven Smith the Reebok Instapump Fury was considered to be futuristic for the time period. Utilising the proprietary Pump mechanism that was launched in 1988. (Which was intended for use in Basketball and Tennis footwear.) As well as an array of emerging Reebok technologies combined. To create what they called at the time a “showpiece of footwear”.
These features included the paradigm-shifting air bladders that forwent any and all previous lace systems. The segmented Hexalite cushioning that reduced the shoe’s weight by one-third, and the Graphlite carbon arch that bridged the two halves of the sole. All of this sounds complicated and has all contributed to one of the most technologically infused and futuristic shoes of the 90s and early 2000s. So it is only fitting that the latest iteration of the shoe deploys the most dominant technology in the current trainer landscape, the Boost midsole to its design.
What we know about the Instapump Fury Boost
Combining the futurism of the Instapump Fury with the cushioning of Boost technology. On paper, it definitely sounds like an appealing concept.
“Instapump Fury Boost is exactly something we would have tried back in 1994 if we had the technology. We were always experimenting to find the best cushioning system possible. It is great to build a hybrid of the best of both brands’ technologies.”
Steven Smith
Expected to be released across Autumn and Winter 2019 the Instapump Fury Boost will be presented in three packs. All expected to highlight and showcase the heritage of both the Instapump Fury and Boost with their designs. The first of model to be confirmed, the Instapump Fury Boost “Prototype” will be available in an extremely limited number (50 pairs) at atmosCon Japan on October 5th.
Why is the Instapump Fury so popular in Asia?
As already stated, the Reebok Instapump Fury has found a spiritual home in the East. It is also expected to be where most of the excitement is going to be coming from for the new Boost infused model. You can see just by looking at the Instapump Fury it was always going to divide opinion, but why has it been well received in Asia? Well, it all began in 1997, 3 years after its debut. When Hong Kong native and kung fu superstar Jackie Chan personally lent his name to a neon yellow colourway of the trainer. Thus introducing the Far East to the Instapump Fury. While that very same year a special colourway dubbed “Hong Kong Handover” was also released to commemorate the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from Great Britain to China, making its presence especially acute in the former colony.
Those two colourways began the love affair between the two. Reebok began to specifically target the Asian market with the product. Fast Forward to 2014, marking the 20th Anniversary or the shoe and Reebok pulled out all the stops in its ensuing celebration. Releasing no less than 33 new variations on the Instapump Fury. Collaborating with a whole host of brands. Pop culture franchises, and trainer shops most of which were Asian founded or based.
The likes of Japan’s atmos, BAPE, UNITED ARROWS, BEAMS and mita sneakers. Hong Kong’s MILK Magazine and Taiwan’s Invincible pushed the silhouette to the forefront of the fashion consciousness. While colourways dedicated to the hugely popular Gundam and Ghost In The Shell anime franchises transcended fashion to reach the general public. Skyrocketing the Instapump Fury into the very centre of Asian pop culture and fashion. Solidifying its status as a staple. With a type of admiration and respect it just doesn’t and has never received in European or North American online trainers markets.