Image via Complex Original
Next year the Reebok Insta Pump Fury will celebrate its 20th birthday, and no doubt there will be a variety of releases celebrating the milestone. But on the low, the futuristic 1994 runner has already seen plenty of spectacular makeups. Some weren't available in the U.S., others were only made in very small quantities, but they're all worth revisiting. It's been a collaboration favorite, and a silhouette that's worked extraordinarily well with outrageous colors and patterns, everything from snakeskin to tiger camo. to polka dots. And another wild version, Sneakersnstuff's "Popsicle" variation, drops tomorrow. So celebrate the best new sneaker of 1994 by checking out The Best Reebok Insta Pump Furies of All Time. You'll be glad you did.
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25. Hawaiian Pack
Year: 2010
Four different colorways, four different prints that would look more at home in your weird uncle's closet. But, as should become rather obvious, the wild and the unexpected is what the Pump Fury is all about.
24. Pixel
Year: 2012
Digi camo? Honestly it's surprising more pixellated finishes haven't been applied to the Pump Fury. Especially seeing how well it took this black and grey variation.
23. UNDFTD "Black Rainbow"
Year: 2008
UNDFTD turned out three colorways for the 2008 Olympics. The gold and silver were too much, but the black - with its glossy cage and Olympic rings inspired fade - was just right.
22. Cheetah
Year: 2008
Almost a toned-down version of the mita "Leopard" Fury (which we'll get to in a bit), the "Cheetah" makeup from 2008 manages to push the normally dominant print into a supporting role. The Pump Fury can do that.
21. LE Pack "Olive/Gum"
Year: 2011
The LE Pack featured several makeups, two of which featured gum outsoles - a "Michigan" navy and maize, and this olive one. The military-inspired colors make it look like some kind of official gear for an army from the future.
20. Teal Gem/Nuclear Yellow
Year: 2013
Sometimes in-line colors just go. Like, for example, this 2013 makeup that mixed teal and yellow. Nothing too crazy, just complementary colors that popped. It's that easy.
19. EXT Lux
Year: 2008
Too much like the atmos "white snake"? Perhaps. But the beige actually gave it a different high-end feel, one that was heightened by the gold accents. At least they didn't add red and green stripes.
18. VERBAL HLS
Year: 2012
Maybe it's cheating to include a Fury HLS, but the chrome-panelled makeup was simply too cool to pass up. The white version was a bit too close to Chanel-lite, but the black and chrome was pure futuristic badassery.
17. London
Year: 2012
All black with Olympic rings accents, the "London" Pump Fury managed to be understated and outrageous at the same damn time. Six colors on a single sneaker can look forced, but not when that sneaker is the Pump Fury.
16. Jun Watanabe x atmos
Year: 2011
Jun Watanabe clearly has a thing for spots and the Reebok Pump Fury. Its combination of futuristic style and "vintage" design is perfect for high-fashion collabs, and clearly it can take anything anyone can throw at it in terms of color or pattern.
15. Tachikoma
Year: 2012
Tachikoma are heavily armed manga robots, "spider-like, multi-legged combat vehicles, equipped with artificial intelligence." The Pump Fury featured a similar gloss blue exterior, offset by grey and black accents. Thankfully, they were not self-aware.
14. Flight Jacket Pack
Year: 2010
It's more or less impossible to go wrong with olive drab - the Flight Jacket Pack offered both olive and black options, but the UNDFTD-like olive ruled the day.
13. Year of the Tiger
Year: 2009
Tiger style. The Year of the Tiger saw this red and black tiger-print option from mita sneakers, set off with black panels and gold accents. Appropriate wear for any year.
12. Kenzo Minami
Year: 2005
Limited to only 100 pairs with a matching box, these Kenzo Minami Furies are amongst the rarest in existence. The stark black and white upper is offset by a colorful gradient lining.
11. Mita "Leopard"
Year: 2012
Like many other Fury designs, the leopard-print mita makeup only sounds insane: Leopard print set off by black and grey panels, red accents, and white contrast stitching AND piping. But seriously, it works. Just don't wear them with plaid pants.
10. Beams "Orange"
Year: 2009
Beams went away from the traditional wild prints and clashing colors with these monochrome takes, and stood out from the pack by the force of sheer understatement. The orange version was perfect.
9. SNS "Legal Issues"
Year: 2013
Based on Pippi Longstocking's horse (allegedly!), the spotted white 2013 drop also could have been inspired by a cow, depending on the officialness of the inquiry. Sneakersnstuff strikes again.
8. X-Large
Year: 2011
The X-Large take on the Fury from 2011 eclipsed the X-Large/X-Girl efforts of the previous year with a seemingly Escape/ACG inspired version, complete with brown suede on the toe, pink and purple panels and a spatter-finished midsole.
7. Children's Day
Year: 2013
Subtle scalloped print textile on the toebox and heel combine with a black frame to make a subdued, yet decidedly Asian-inspired upper, with the true flamboyance provided by the cherry blossom lining.
6. Twilight Zone
Year: 2010
The "Twilight Zone" Pump Fury could have been just as easily dubbed the "Omni Zone," as it took the black, white and orange colorway from Reebok's early '90s basketball shoes and wore it well. Maybe we'll see a Shaq Attaq Pump Fury next?
5. Atmos "White Snake"
Year: 2013
There was a black snake version as well, but the white snake Atmos collab, with its star-shaped perfs and snow-camo insoles, took the sports-luxury feel to new heighs.
4. Mita "Tiger Camo"
Year: 2010
Tiger camo plays the background on mita's collab, set off by a black framework, beige and orange accents, and a grey suede toe bumper. In Fury terms, this qualifies as low-key.
3. Jun Watanabe x atmos "Pink Dots"
Year: 2013
Pink polka dots on a royal blue background with contrasting black panels and yellow, teal and orange accents. A nightmare on any other silhouette, but a winner on the Pump Fury. It's hard to imagine a better shoe for imaginative makeups.
2. Original
Year: 1994
The citron, red and black original colorway of the Insta Pump Fury is nearly as iconic as the design itself. Together, it's on the level of the red, black and white Air Jordan or grey/neon Air Max 95 - immediately recognizable from a mile away. Astounding intro.
1. Chanel
Year: 1997
The best collab ever? That might be going overboard, but the silver and white Chanel x Reebok Insta Pump Fury remains the grail of grails to some. The colorway eventualy released, but it's the interlocking CCs of the original that make it legendary.
