Former professional vollyballer Gabby Reece was the first female athlete to design a sneaker for a company. Now, she's coming full circle.
Gabby Reece drops new namesake sneaker—and fans will love it originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Gabby Reece is adding a new chapter to her long career in sports and wellness.
According to WWD, the former professional beach volleyball star has officially unveiled her first namesake sneaker with Vionic, marking a milestone that blends her athletic background with her ongoing focus on everyday movement.
The shoe, called The Gabby, arrives nearly a year after Reece became Vionic’s first well-being ambassador. Unlike performance sneakers designed for competition, this silhouette was created specifically for walking and everyday wear, emphasizing natural motion and long-term comfort.
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According to Vionic, the sneaker is engineered to support proper foot roll and encourage a more natural gait. The design features friction laces that stay secure in motion, a molded heel counter for stability, and an adaptive knit upper that conforms to the foot's shape. A dual-density midsole and rubber outsole are also part of the build, along with a stability plate intended to help guide movement.
For Reece, the project reflects decades of lived experience as an athlete. In an interview with Footwear News, she explained that “form and function have always been inseparable” in her life, a mindset she brought directly into the design process. She added that working with Vionic allowed her to collaborate closely with designers and biomechanics experts to create a sneaker that was purposeful from the ground up.
“Together, we engineered Vionic’s most advanced walking shoe,” Reece said, noting that the goal was to prioritize how the body moves without losing sight of aesthetics.
Reece also emphasized that the sneaker was never meant to be about choosing between style and performance. “You don’t have to sacrifice beauty for performance or performance for style,” she said, describing the shoe as something that supports the body while still feeling good to wear.
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This is not Reece’s first foray into footwear design. In 1994, she made history as the first female athlete to design a Nike shoe.
Category: General Sports
