Breaking Down the Re-Release of Emmitt Smith's Reebok ES22s

Photo Courtesy of Reebok

The highly demanded re-releases continue to roll out from Reebok, the latest being in the form of the Emmitt Smith classic ES22s.

Reebok has been on a tear lately with their retro collection, specifically going big on their re-releases of past NBA superstar Allen Iverson's Questions and Answer IV models. While Iverson was arguably the biggest name for Reebok's basketball division, nobody can forget what Smith accomplished with the brand's football operations.

The ES22s will be re-released on Wednesday, November 21st—just in time for a little holiday shopping.

Countdown tothe ES22 release is on. You can only get ‘em @flunlocked Wed 11/21. Who’s gonnacop these #classics? yfrog.com/es4adsxj
— Reebok Classics (@ReebokClassics) November 17, 2012

With this classic dropping for a limited time, let's break down the past so that you can make up your mind before it is too late.

Design Breakdown

One of the hottest commodities in today's current shoe game is the turf shoe. The great thing about the Smiths is that they carry that turf shoe aspect, but they also provide some of that off-court swag that people are always looking for in their kicks.

This is partly due to the Hexalite feature, which is recognizable to anyone aware of the previously mentioned Questions. Those honeycomb-shaped sole air pockets have become an iconic part of Reebok's brand—making these desirable to also those who solely love the Questions for that reason.

The other thing that I love about these shoes is that they don't have an overwhelming amount of branding—just a simple Reebok logo on the tongue, in the middle above the sole and on the back of the shoe. Even with that minimal amount of markings, the Hexalite is what truly makes you recognize this shoe as a Reebok classic.

The shoes also are not identical to the original product worn on the field (see retro ad below), but the design changes are not detrimental. The most recognizable difference will be the tongue, but to be honest, for an off-court shoe the change is preferred.

The shoes will be available in both black/white and blue/white/black color ways. Both colors are pretty basic, but sometimes that is more appealing when it comes to retros.

If you don't like basic, don't fret—Reebok is expected to drop a variety of colors in the near future (h/t SneakerNews.com).

How Much Swag Comes With Wearing These?

It seems like nothing is more important these days than how much swag someone has.

While I can't give you any specific answer to how much swag you will gain by wearing these, I would be willing to bet that plenty of teams will not only ask you about them, but will also be wanting to cop a pair themselves.

What's Your Favorite Part of the ES22s?

For one, these are the signature kicks of one of the all-time greatest running backs in NFL history. Not only that, how many NFL players typically have their own line of shoes for everyday wear?

For this reason alone, the ES22s are extremely unique. Also, as previously mentioned, you really can't go wrong with turf shoes these days.

The other swag factor going on with the ES22s is the fact that they are retros. It is a fact that you can never go wrong with retros. The fact that everyone is following the retro trend just speaks volumes for how much people are wanting to get themselves a pair of older sneakers.

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