Mike Guillory got the Reebok Question 96/26 in hand ahead of release, and his first line about it is the right one. Thirty years on from Allen Iverson’s first signature shoe, the way Reebok chose to mark the anniversary is the most polarising thing it could have done.
There is no leather, no stitching and no glue
The Question 96/26 is 3D printed by Zellerfeld, the Austin and Hamburg outfit that prints footwear as a single piece. Reebok’s own description is that it is built without moulds, stitching, glue or traditional assembly, which is a different claim from most things marketed as innovation.
Zellerfeld makes it from a material it calls ZELLERFOAM, which it describes as breathable and reusable. There is no Hexalite in here, which is the cushioning that defined the original. What Mike points out instead is that the midsole was shaped to read like the 1996 tooling even though nothing inside it is the same. Look at the two side by side and the relationship is obvious before you can explain why.
What actually survived from 1996
Three things. The honeycomb structure on the panel, the oval windows in the midsole, and the general stance of the shoe. Reebok’s Vector branding sits on the side where you expect it.
Everything else is gone. That is the polarising part, and it is worth being straight about it. This is not a retro with a new colorway on it. It is a reinterpretation that keeps the silhouette’s recognisable geometry and throws out its construction entirely.
When we first created the Question, we wanted to change the game, not follow it. Thirty years later, it is incredible to see that same innovation mindset that made the original special continue through Question 96/26.
Allen Iverson
The part nobody is talking about is the retail model
This did not go to Foot Locker. It went up on Zellerfeld’s own site, in adult sizes only, in limited quantity, and it is printed after you order it. The estimated delivery on the product page is three to four weeks.
Zellerfeld’s pitch is that the shoe is reengineered to fit your own measurements rather than pulled off a size run. Mike, for what it is worth, treated it like a normal sneaker and went true to size at a 10, and his advice for wide feet is to go up a full size. Those two things are worth squaring before you order, because a printed-to-order shoe is not a shoe you casually exchange.
Release details
The Reebok Question 96/26 is $169 and released Tuesday, August 25 at 12pm ET, exclusively through Zellerfeld. It launched in two colorways, Stone and Lilac. As of this writing the Stone is still listed as available rather than sold out, which given the print-to-order model is less of a restock question than it would normally be.
Reebok has more planned for the Question’s thirtieth year. This was just the opening move, and it was a strange one to lead with.
Video and hands-on by Mike Guillory. Product imagery courtesy of Zellerfeld.
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