PUMA is following the NOHARM lead further by producing clothes and trainers that are compostable. PUMA’s CEO Franz Koch told the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche:
“We are confident that in the near future we will be able to bring the first shoes, T-shirts and bags, that are either compostable or recyclable, to the market. It follows two circuits, the technical and the biological: I can use old shoes to make new ones or something completely different, such as car tyres. In the biological cycle, I can make shoes and shirts that are compostable so I can shred them and bury them in the back garden. We are working on products that meet these two criteria.”
Yves Saint Laurent has joined forces with sister company Puma to create a high-top sneaker melding Stefano Pilati’s design prowess and the activewear firm’s technical expertise. The men’s style, available in black leather or gray suede, just arrived in YSL boutiques, however, in the U.S. it will be sold exclusively on the brand’s e-commerce site. Puma has already collaborated with other Gucci Group brands, including Sergio Rossi and Alexander McQueen. Source: WWD
PUMA x STREB dance company. Prepare to be amazed by the physical phenomenon that is STREB, the dance company featured in PUMA’s Spring/Summer Sportslifestyle campaign. The founder and legendary choreographer, Elizabeth Streb, coins the studio’s unusual technique “PopAction.†This untraditional art form draws upon things like dance, extreme sports, boxing, the circus, and Hollywood stunt work. As if this wasn’t enough, STREB also uses daring and strict precision to display the effects of ‘pure movement.’
Check out the Alexander McQueen Puma Spring 2008 footwear collection and the Alexander McQueen Bones Installation, inspired by the skeletal structure and the backbone. PUMA BLACK STORE shopping event and Alexander McQueen BONES installation Saturday March 29th 1pm-5pm
Following the explosion in Sports-Fashion collaborations a number of designers are now asking the question will these collaborations with corporate sportswear giants have a long-term detrimental impact on their credability as serious designers. Plainly the designer brings his or her credability to the table and in return the big corporate sports brand brings a lorry load of cash which on the face of it seems a fair trade-off. Then again, if you sell your soul to the devil there’s no buying it back. Perhaps one of the most interesting Sports-Fashion collaborations is the PUMA McQueen. Here’s their blurb:
Puma Trainers to cross the German/French border? PPR announced that it has taken a 27% stake in German sportswear retailer Puma. The French luxury goods group confirmed that it planned to take over the rest of the company for €5.3 billion. With the sale of their stake to PPR, siblings Gunther and Daniela Herz, until now Puma’s largest shareholders, have relinquished all control of Puma.