RIHANNA COVERS FOOTWEAR NEWS MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE. (PHOTO).

Rihanna is back at the center of the sneaker world. The superstar, who covers FN’s September issue is ready to make big return to PUMA. After striking gold once with the Creeper, the pair is looking to do it again, this time with a fresh take on the classic Puma Avanti. FN got an exclusive first look at the campaign and talked to Rihanna about her vision for her new Fenty x Puma collection. 

“Football is a universal language that brings people together from all over the world, all walks of life, and I wanted to pay homage to that,” Rihanna told FN exclusively.

The launch is generating major excitement within the company, who first teamed up with the artist at the end of 2014.

The mom of two has been busy building her family with partner and rapper A$AP Rocky. And she hasn’t released another album — instead shifting much of her attention to the Fenty empire, which now includes her wildly successful cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin and the growing Savage x Fenty lingerie line. (Her luxury fashion house, Fenty, launched in partnership with LVMH in 2019, but the line was suspended indefinitely in 2021.)

The Puma team predicted the footwear franchise will be a hit with the masses, while still encapsulating Rihanna’s fondness for individuality and edge.

“She’s very dedicated when it comes to the finishing details, that color combination. She’s always thinking how you’re going to wear it, how you’re going to style it,” said Valdes, who worked closely with Rihanna on the product. “She’s quite versatile, she can pull off anything and she’s trying to always think from [that perspective]. That brings a bit of commerciality to the table, but then some excitement by finding the right balance of both.”. You can read more on footwear news.com