Rihanna, otherwise known as “the hottest person to ever exist” in the eyes of Billie Eilish, just announced what will assuredly become the hottest sneakers of Fall 2023.
On Thursday morning, September 7, Rihanna and Puma jointly revealed their first collaboration since Puma confirmed a partnership with Rihanna’s Fenty earlier this year.
“we are back…,” states the caption of an Instagram post showing Rihanna rocking all-black in a soccer (or football) ball-themed room. “reintroducing the Avanti. available Sept. 15 at puma.com & select retailers globally.”
On March 1, Puma confirmed the Fenty X Puma partnership by posting an Instagram photo with “She’s back” written above the respective logos for Fenty and Puma. “Coming soon,” the caption teased.
“While the musician-turned-mogul’s laid-back announcement may have been predictably Rihanna, the news itself is anything but predictable,” Vogue relayed at that time. “Rihanna’s relationship with Puma stretches back almost a decade: first joining the brand as creative director in 2014, she then released a series of sell-out sneakers and staged a number of shows at New York Fashion Week, receiving positive reviews from critics and customers alike. Her most recent collection for Puma was released in 2017, with the collaboration going on an unannounced hiatus while Rihanna pursued other projects.”
As captured by Highsnobiety in June, Rihanna told us without telling us what was to come with Puma by wearing the King Avanti silhouette while out and about.
And this week, Puma posted a video of Rihanna on set, being asked, “Do you have an idea where you’re going next?” She playfully responded, “Um, I mean, I know where I’m going next, but I can’t tell you that. What’s the fun in that?”
