Source: Reebok / Reebok
Kerby Jean-Raymond is paying it forward. The renowned designer and Pyer Moss founder maintains a gig as the Vice President of Creative Direction for Reebok and along with the brand premiered a short film called CrateMaster that portrays the creativity and hustle of basketball-playing youth in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Source: Reebok / Reebok
Directed by Jean-Raymond, the film cast locals to tell the story of an inner-basketball tournament and the excitement and drama as it’s all set to go down in one day. Of course, the prize being a pair of Allen Iverson signature kicks for winning said tournament exponentially ups the ante.
“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 Kerby Jean-Raymond in a press statement. “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.”
Making sure to pay proper homage to his native borough, Jean-Raymond (who is from Flatbush) and Reebok screen the film in Brownsville’s Hilltop Playground, where film is set, to a local audience. Reebok will also donate equipment and supplies to the Friends of Hilltop to make sure the Hilltop Playground and recreation center and properly outfitted.
Source: Reebok / Reebok
Adds Jean-Raymond, “As part of Reebok’s new approach to storytelling, we want to showcase sports and activities that everyone can have access to. Building upon this idea that ‘life is not a spectator sport,’ we’ll impart on our audience the power of movement and how you can move, no matter where you’re from or the resources you may or may not have. This people-first perspective is authentic to Reebok and will inform our dialogue moving forward.”
Watch the CrateMaster film below.
