Will 2024 be the year Puma conquers fashion?

Paris Fashion Week audiences, be they amazed, dazed or tired, have a long eye. An eye so long, in fact, that it often barely registers the novelty of this or that look and still focuses, after the implosion of the streetwear world, on the sneaker collaborations that appear on the catwalk. Now, amidst the hundreds of collaborations that are presented at every fashion week, a pattern has emerged: two of the youngest and hottest brands at Paris Fashion Week, Coperni and Ottolinger, brought their respective collaborations with Puma to the catwalk - crowning a fervent moment for the sportswear brand, which, driven by remarkable financial results (an 11.1% increase in sales in the second quarter of the year) has indirectly signalled their intentions to become the next fashion favourite trainer manufacturers. Certainly, the predictions of CEO Arne Freundt, who said at a press conference in July that he wanted to increase «the brand's heat in the second half of the year» are coming true. 

Here are the five most important collaborations between the fashion world and Puma of the past two months.

Ottolinger

Let's start with the collaboration that has caused the most debate. PUMA and Ottolinger have designed a capsule for the FW23 collection. The collaboration creates a balance between deconstruction and classic silhouettes, and while Ottolinger reinvents the iconic Mostro Boot that retains the classic spiked sole, its look has now been enhanced thanks to metallic chrome elements and vibrant colour accents. The boot is knee-high, decorated with straps and bearing a chunky silhouette. Another model is the mid-top trainer, and utimately the iconic PUMA x Ottolinger patent leather bag that we are sure to see around at next fashion week.

Coperni

Coperni gave a glimpse of an upcoming collaboration with PUMA at Paris Fashion Week, during the show for the SS24 collection. The collaboration is a kind of fusion between a futuristic football boot and a dress shoe, which appeared on the catwalk in three different colours. Coperni is only the second luxury fashion brand to collaborate on a designer shoe with PUMA. The trainers, currently unnamed, feature a sporty upper similar to PUMA's Future range, complete with the characteristic zigzag design. Instead of traditional cleats, the shoes are supported by large, flat triangular spikes. The main difference, however, is in the front of the shoe: the toe box is square and angular, in true Coperni style. The collection has no definite release date, but since the shoes accompanied next season's offerings in Paris, they are likely to arrive in early 2024.

Fenty x Puma

«I wanted to bring something iconic from the archives to the street, and the great Pelé made the Avanti so iconic.» In early September, Rihanna and Puma announced the new chapter in the multi-year FENTY x PUMA partnership after taking a break back in 2018. The featured trainer was the Fenty x Puma Avanti, which combines the classic King football boot, one of the shoes used by icons such as Maradona or Pele, and the sole of the Easy Rider running shoe. The idea of the collaboration was to subvert dedicated athletic silhouettes to create a new unisex lifestyle product. Rihanna's signature Avanti is constructed from antiqued leather, has a fold-over tongue with embossed and gold-printed Fenty and Puma Cat logos, a rubber sole and a leather insole. The chrome version, on the other hand, has laser-etched logos and chrome leather details. With a campaign that included not only Rihanna herself, but also A$AP Nast, Pure and Felix Mallard, this release was the moment when Puma's fashion streak came back to life.

Swarowski

For Puma's 75th anniversary, the brand collaborated with Swarovski to create versions of the Puma Suede and Puma Hoodie entirely covered in crystals. With a thick black sole and a green colourway upper retrieved from the brand's archive, the Puma Suede is one of those shoes that will soon be appearing in the street styles of the upcoming fashion weeks. This trainer model is also accompanied by the classic hoodie in a black version covered in faceted green crystals. A further demonstration of the elasticity and versatility of the Puma language, once again translated into fashion.

MCM Worldwide

This summer, MCM Worldwide and Puma presented the third and final part of their collaboration. Beyond ready-to-wear, the star here is an updated version of the PUMA TRC Blaze Court Shoe, combining Puma's cutting-edge sports technology with MCM's flashy, old-money appeal. The two had already collaborated around five years ago on a collaborative Puma Suede model, and then again last year with a luxury version of the PUMA Slipstream Lo.