Fenty x PUMA is Back as Rihanna Launches the Avanti

Rihanna and sports company, PUMA, have officially launched their newest product franchise. Rihanna returns to the brand as creative director, Fenty x PUMA, with a multiyear partnership and several product launches in the pipeline. The return of Fenty x PUMA blends PUMA’s deep history and heritage in sport with Rihanna’s position as a leader in music, culture and fashion. The Fenty x PUMA Avanti, the first footwear franchise of the partnership, is an unconventional mix of two PUMA icons blending the high-quality leather design of the king football boot with the outsole of the heritage running shoe, Easy Rider.

Rihanna and PUMA have a history of launching disruptive fashion takes on sport styles over the course of their relationship – starting in 2015 with the Creeper. Rihanna and PUMA launched several footwear and apparel collections over the course of 2015-2018, including the Fenty x PUMA trainer and the Fenty x PUMA fur slide. With four fashion shows in New York and Paris, Fenty x PUMA served as a catalyst for PUMA’s brand impact and relevance over the past decade. 

Rihanna’s love of football coupled with the sport’s influence off the pitch served as the starting point for this footwear franchise.

In addition, it was important to both Rihanna and PUMA to ensure that this launch be offered to the entire family – the Avanti is being offered as a unisex shoe for both adults and kids.

In 1968, the original PUMA king football boot was born, worn by icons like Eusebio, Pelé and Maradona. In 1978, the PUMA miele started a new jogging shoe franchise, which would evolve into the PUMA Easy Rider. In 1998, Jil Sander and PUMA launched the first collaboration blending the two styles with the Jil Sander King shoe that served as the design inspiration of the Avanti later established by PUMA in 2001.

Today Rihanna has added her personal creative elements, from the details of the leather to the gum of the outsole, putting her own spin on this classic PUMA style. 

“I wanted to bring something iconic from the archives to the street, and the late great Pelé made the Avanti shoe so iconic,” said Rihanna. 

“It’s been such an exciting start to our partnership,” says Maria Valdes, chief product officer, PUMA. “We spent time together opening up the PUMA archive and identifying the right product that spoke to Rihanna. The Avanti is a PUMA classic with a unique and iconic point of view on terrace. 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.”

The Fenty x PUMA Avanti features soft vintage leather, a foldover tongue with a debossed and printed gold-foil enty and PUMA cat logo. The black-and-white version is complemented by a chrome execution with laser-etched logos and leather chrome details. 

The Fenty x PUMA Avanti will be available worldwide on Puma.com and at select retailers beginning Sept. 15.  A second Avanti drop will follow this fall.