Herzogenaurach, Germany, September 29, 2022
Source: PUMA HAS SIGNED A DEAL WITH SKEPTA, ANNOUNCING HIM AS ITS NEW GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
Skepta has been one of the most prominent entertainment ambassadors for the Swoosh. The emcee’s following in the UK filters over to the U.S. whenever his Air Max collabs dropped. With Drake having dabbled in leaving for adidas, and Travis Scott being saddled with the responsibility for deaths at his concerts, Nike’s connection to Hip-Hop has taken a series of hits. Their Billie Eilish collabs didn’t connect as well as they should have and Nocta has been nada with drops so small and difficult to get that no one has truly been checking for Drake’s products. Skepta’s trainers consistently sold out and caused heads to pursue the models from sources in the international market. While most fight to remain on the roster at Nike, it’s understandable why Skepta made the switch:
The partnership was struck through Skepta’s Big Smoke Corporation, an organization created to foster and ignite a community of individuals with talents and bring those talents to brands, forming unique partnerships. “This is the first brand partnership deal to come through my new company Big Smoke Corporation and one I am very proud of. Together with PUMA we can put our spin and create a new way of thinking about fashion and style.” Skepta says, “it’s an honour to work with such a globally recognized brand that is both embedded and has a real understanding of youth and popular culture, but also understands the importance of partnerships and collaborations such as this. We look forward to developing and creating new opportunities for the next generation together.”
Puma’s sneakers have never been focused on running styles. It will be interesting to see how Skepta will infuse his style into Puma’s trainer options but watching the fashion play with Mikey Williams and the MCM collab and their recent Player’s Lounge Collection led by Memphis Depay, the work on the men’s side is finally rivaling the work done by Rihanna during her Fenty stage with Puma. The learnings from that collaboration has paid dividends as Puma’s men’s apparel has elevated considerably. Skepta won’t have to carry this weight as Puma has been spending a ton of time getting their fashion in line with trends, but it’s the footwear aspect that will have to connect to really take advantage of Skepta’s style. I can see a Puma Disc drop in the future and The Player’s Lounge may have an indication of how sneaker’s will be utilized. Intriguing work coming out of the Puma Lab.