Boston-based sport and heritage brand Reebok today released CrateMaster, an eight-minute film directed by Reebok vice president of creative direction, Kerby Jean-Raymond. Filmed in Brownsville, a working class Brooklyn neighborhood, the action is centered around a group of young basketball players who show a commitment to the game despite ongoing resource and access challenges, which include having to use plastic storage crates (a reference to the film’s title) in place of a basketball hoop.
Starring Ja’keem Gibson and Tyronne Williams, the video follows a day-in-the-life of young people living in he neighborhood as they plan a tournament at Hilltop Playgound where the prize is a pair of Allen Iverson Reebok sneakers. Individuals throughout the video are shot wearing Reebok apparel and sneakers, including some upcoming models.
“For inner city areas like Brooklyn, where this particular story is told, access to play is a big issue. You have so many people with so little resources and even less space,” explained Jean-Raymond in a press release. While CrateMaster shines a light on that, it more so defines the power of community and play that motivates these youth to create their own access, to be with one another and to compete.”
CrateMaster was pre-screened on Tuesday evening (July 13, 2021) at Hilltop Playground for an exclusive audience of local residents.
In the coming months, Jean-Raymond and creative director Jide Osifeso will unveil a new global brand campaign for spring 2022. The first collection influenced by Jean-Raymond will launch in spring 2022, followed by the first collection driven entirely by his creative direction in spring 2023.
Check out some still from the visual below.
