And just like that, the male romper goes mainstream.
A male version of the one-piece summer-weight suit of shorts and short sleeves called the RompHim was widely mocked online this week after a startup’s crowdfunding campaign went viral.
But on Thursday, the trend got serious. Reebok, the sporting goods giant based in Canton with a knack for tapping into trending topics, said it is unleashing a male romper of its own.
And no, company officials promise, this is not a joke.
Advertised for $89, the ReeRomp could be seen in sketches on Reebok’s website, where it is described as “a one piece silhouette to keep your street-style look on-trend.’’
“Built for bros, the ReeRomp will keep you cool in more ways than one,’’ Reebok said in its description. “Embrace the season’s coolest new trend, perfectly paired with Classic Leathers.’’
Reebok did not immediately respond to questions about how long the style has been in the works, or whether the RompHim’s popularity online spurred Reebok to release its own version.
The company does have some recent history of being cheeky. Just last month, it created a page for $425 sweaty T-shirts, a tongue-in-cheek play on $425 mud-stained jeans from Nordstrom. In November, shortly after the election, Reebok took to Twitter to offer new sneakers to consumers who had disposed of their New Balance shoes in protest of the Boston-based company’s praise of President Trump’s trade policies.
But unlike the ReeRomp, Reebok didn’t actually bring a product to market. Then again, there might just be a market for this one: The RompHim folks have already raised nearly $250,000 on Kickstarter.
The ReeRomp won’t be available for 32 days, Reebook said, and its site did not make a preorder option available.
So who’s going to get in on the trend next? Tom Brady?
Adam Vaccaro can be reached at adam.vaccaro@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamtvaccaro.
