Reebok and London-based designer Masha Popova bring together sportswear hetitage and fantasy-driven fashion for a new collaboration revealed during London Fashion Week 2026. The partnership sees Popova transform Reebok’s iconic Freestyle Hi, treating the 1980s silhouette as another material to manipulate, fade and reinterpret.
Presented at 180 Studio on 18 September, Popova’s latest collection explores the way summer memories remain embedded in clothing long after the season has passed. Instead of literally recreating the beach, she captures its traces through faded surfaces, sand-covered textures and garments that appear shaped by sunlight, water and time.
Reebok’s Freestyle Hi Becomes a Canvas
Two customised versions of the Freestyle Hi sit within the presentation. The first, dubbed the “Denim Ghost”, completely covers the high-top in denim. Popova then fades and rubs back the material, gradually revealing the original construction underneath. The process gives the sneaker the appearance of something emerging from beneath the fabric, creating a ghost-like effect that connects directly to the collection’s themes of memory and transformation.
The second approach takes a more weathered approach. The “Sand Coated Freestyle Hi” makes the sneaker look as though it has travelled directly through shallow water and across the beach, with sand clinging to its surface. Both designs treat the sneaker almost like a garment, using layering, distressing and manipulation to change its appearance without losing the recognisable shape underneath.
That approach reflects Popova’s own creative practice, particularly her use of denim as a medium for transforming familiar clothing. The designer has built a reputation around wearable high-fashion designs that combine fantasy with memories of childhood and her Ukrainian roots.
An 80s Icon Meets Popova’s World
The collaboration also brings Popova back to a silhouette that has long represented a distinctive moment in sportswear history. Reebok launched the Freestyle Hi in 1982 as the first aerobic shoe designed specifically for women, helping establish the high-top as an important part of women’s fitness footwear before its influence moved far beyond the gym.
Popova has been interested in 1980s sportswear since her student days, making the Freestyle Hi the perfect fit for her aesthetic. She approaches it in much the same way she approaches her garments, manipulating the surface while still allowing part of the original construction to emerge.
Masha Popova Turns the Reebok Freestyle Hi Into a Faded Summer Memory
