
Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world
Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.
BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
By our News Team | 2023
Singer-songwriter and global sporting brand have a history of launching disruptive fashion takes on sport styles.
International icon Rihanna and sports brand Puma have officially launched their newest product franchise partnership.
The singer-songwriter and businesswoman returns to the Puma brand as the Creative Director of Fenty x Puma with a multi-year partnership and several product launches in the pipeline.
Photo courtesy of Puma
“The return of Fenty x Puma blends Puma’s deep history and heritage in sport with Rihanna’s iconic stature as a leader in music, culture and fashion,” the German-based sporting apparel giant says in a media statement.
Rihanna and Puma have a history of launching disruptive fashion takes on sport styles over the course of their relationship together, which began in 2015 and continued through until 2018. That partnership has now been re-established.
First new product from the partnership is the Avanti
Fenty x Puma uses the Fenty brand, which is owned by Rihanna for various business endeavours. Within the Fenty x Puma franchise there will be several products, the first of which is called the Avanti.
It combines design elements of Puma’s King soccer shoe and its Easy Rider running shoe, and is being offered as a unisex product in adult and children’s sizes. The Avanti went on sale in mid-September through selected retailers and via Puma’s e-commerce site.
Rihanna’s love of soccer, coupled with the sports’ great influence off the pitch, is said to have served as the starting point for renewing the partnership.
“I wanted to bring something iconic from the archives to the street, and the late great Pelé made the Avanti shoe so iconic,” Rihanna says in the press release.
“We spent time together opening up the Puma archive and identifying the right product that spoke to Rihanna,” adds Maria Valdes, Chief Product Officer at Puma. “I’m very happy to see this project come to life and even more excited for what the coming years have in store for us together.”

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