Sources close to Rihanna have reportedly informed PUMA that she is ending her contract with the brand. The split puts an official end to what has been one of women’s streetwear’s most impactful partnerships over the past decade.
In 2014, Rihanna was announced as Creative Director for the luxury German house. She put them on the cultural map months later with assistance from the FENTY Creeper. The low-top platform sneaker was one of athleisure’s signature shoes and spearheaded fashion cognizant design for women’s sneakers.
Designs slowed between Rihanna and PUMA in 2018 before they reunited for a second collection in 2023. This newer range of sneakers did not have the same effect and was unable to stand out in what had now become a very saturated women’s market.
Although 2023’s FENTY x PUMA collection played heavily into soccer-style footwear, including the release of the Avanti, it felt lacking in terms of must-have pieces. PUMA did reintroduce the Creeper later that year, giving consumers another piece of Rihanna’s original work with the brand to hold onto. Still, the impact was nowhere near what was felt during the original FENTY collection’s releases.
Sneaker journalist Lois Sakany was the first to report news of the split. Sakany went on to mention that A$AP Rocky’s deal with PUMA may be coming to an end as well. Although the Harlem native is set to release products in 2026, his long-term future with the brand is now up in the air.
Meanwhile, Rihanna was spotted wearing the Nike Moon Shoe by Jacquemus. The collaboration is one of Nike’s best womens-centric campaigns in recent years. Again, this does not guarantee a partnership between Rihanna and Nike.
Part of what made FENTY x PUMA click was having Rihanna at the intersection of music, fashion, and sneakers. The culture around the initial releases felt bigger than streetwear at the time. Today’s market had proven it to be difficult to recreate.
We will have to wait and see what Rihanna does next. However, her legacy with PUMA will live on through the ways she changed the company’s approach to women’s sneakers forever.
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