Most of the time, there's something sort of depressing about seeing a beloved artist's legacy compromised through mass merchandising. Do you really need Basquiat shower-curtain liners or Lichtenstein-inspired salt-and-pepper shakers? The answer is no. (Unless you're the set dresser for Girls, in which case the answer is, well, yeah, probably.)Yet there's something compelling about the Reebok x Haring collection, a collaboration between the Canton-based footwear giant and the Keith Haring Foundation, which perpetuates the late artist's legacy by funding children's and HIV/AIDS nonprofits. Maybe we love it because Haring's colorful, graffiti-influenced characters arose from his work in NYC's burgeoning '80s street-art scene — which make these just the kind of sneakers we would have loved to wear while pumping Kid 'n' Play from a boombox in our playground days. Maybe it's because the eye-catching kicks draw attention to the foundation Haring established in 1989, the year before he died of AIDS. Or maybe it's just because we're sneaker junkies who are head over heels for the bright colors, cool textures, die-cut elements, and appliqués that adorn these classic '80s-era Reebok silhouettes. Pretty sure that has something to do with it.
THE REEBOK X HARING `COLLECTION HITS SHELVES ON FEBRUARY 10 AFTER GETTING AN INVITE-ONLY LAUNCH PARTY AT BOSTON'S OWN BODEGA.
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, Sneakers, reebok, Fashion
