Source: PUMA SE
Moments in sneakers are often sports based. We remember the highlights of our favorite athletes wearing a particular sneaker during an amazing accomplishment. We remember where we were when something important happened in our lives and we remember what sneakers we wore. On a daily basis the sneaker world is inundated with commentary on the process of winning raffles or getting the latest sneaker model, but when really important moments in sneakers take place, they are overlooked. A company gains a green certification, Veja is a brand that utilizes Fair Trade Certified Cotton, Allbirds is a B Certified Company because of their environmental policies, but these aren’t cool factors in purchasing. These actions are simply the right thing to do. Business doesn’t often tilt towards morality, but when it does, it has to be highlighted. In 2018 I wrote the following post:
For Nike, adidas and Many Brands, Diversity Appears to Place Gender Before Color
I was having discussions on diversity in the workplace for sneaker companies. I was looking at the racial disparities but failed to address pay inequity. Right now, there are lawsuits against Nike for gender discrimination, but sneaker culture will be clamoring to purchase the upcoming Air Jordan 3 Reimagined. This is women’s history month and while there are women fighting to win the next A Ma Maniere Jordan drop, there are women fighting the same company to be recognized and considered equal. Business is hardly ever about morality. It’s about feeding the “cool” machine. Except when it’s not. PUMA dropped a “She’s Back” campaign yesterday to highlight the return of Rihanna. PUMA delivered this news on the first day of Women’s History Month, but what they accomplished and shared on the same day was that the company “closed the adjusted pay gap between women and men among its employees in Germany, according to an independently certified gender pay gap analysis. FPI Fair Pay Innovation Lab, which certified the results, made PUMA the second company in Germany to receive title “Universal Fair Pay Developer”, which is only given to companies that can show an adjusted gender pay gap of between +1 and -1%.” Rihanna is at the heart of PUMA’s resurgence and growth, but beneath the surface the brand is doing the real work that allows for equality and opportunity. She’s Back may be resonating with fans of Fenty, but what should resonate even more is UFPD. In the words of Ernie Johnson on TNT, “Underdog, put that on a t-shirt.”
Puma Breaks the 4.8 Billion Dollar Mark for the First Time in 2017