Reebok founder Joe Foster stated that it is difficult to shift clothing manufacturing to the West because no one wants to spend hours in front of a sewing machine. When asked how difficult it was for businesses like Adidas, Reebok, and Nike to shift production out of Asia, Foster responded that it was “virtually impossible” to do so in a short amount of time.
Foster explained that achieving production at the scale of millions of products requires access to a large workforce willing to engage in manufacturing tasks—particularly women operating sewing machines and men working on production lines—something that cannot be established overnight. He noted that in the UK, such labour is increasingly difficult to find, as people have moved on to other types of work. He added that the situation in the United States appears to be much the same.
He claimed that a quicker way to produce shoes using automation and robots is required in order to shift manufacturing to the West. However, it was challenging to automate complex trainers, which he said had over a hundred elements.
He claimed that the clothing and footwear industry will remain in the Far East for a very long time and that the industry had not advanced to that point.
The majority of Reebok’s production takes place in Asia, specifically in China and Vietnam. Since 2022, Todd Krinsky has served as the CEO of the private corporation. It is owned by the Authentic labels Group, a New York City-based company that also owns clothing labels like Ted Baker, Van Heusen, Champion, and Billabong.
