When soccer meets Rihanna, we get viral moments like the bad gal wearing a Louis Vuitton soccer purse to a Juventus match. Or, in the latest case, FENTY x PUMA blesses the streets with more Avanti sneakers.
The Avanti sneaker, which helped kick off this second leg of FENTY x PUMA, draws inspiration from soccer and its legends like Maradona. And although retired but still admiring the game, Romeo Beckham naturally has a deep appreciation for the PUMA Avanti.
It’s probably why Rihanna hand-selected Beckham for the FENTY x PUMA campaign, a moment he called “unreal.” The revived PUMA Avanti celebrates yesterday and today’s soccer stars (Beckham checks the box). And like many, Beckham knows when the multihyphenate calls, you answer.
“Everything she does pushes the boundaries, creatively and from a style perspective. She has taken a traditional football boot, remixed it, and made it better and bolder,” Beckham tells Highsnobiety.
Beckham retired from soccer at the young age of 22 to pursue a fashion career. On top of being our crop top revivalist, he’s already mastered the art of dressing like dad David Beckham, who, together with Victoria Beckham, helped shaped ’90s style as we know it today.
Sports and fashion have long gone hand-in-hand, but Beckham thinks the crossover is stronger than ever, with sports having an a huge influence on street style “like never before.” And PUMA is right at the center of it all.
The new Avanti sneakers will drop in two fresh colorways, red and white, again crafted with top-notch creamy leather and gilded hints. It’s another effortless marriage of Rihanna’s luxurious tastes and PUMA’s sports roots.
Even more simply put, the Avanti collab is “football but make it BadGalRiRi,” according to PUMA.
In the era of “blokecore,” jerseys are now everyday uniform, and luxury brands can’t stop making the craziest football boots. FENTY x PUMA’s Avanti sneaker only adds to fashion’s burning desire to dress like prime-time Pele.
Some diehard soccer fanatics may loathe the idea of fashion folk selling out their favorite team jerseys. However, Beckham is very much here for the soccer dressin’.
“I love the footballification of fashion. You see sports culture fused with street style everywhere you look today. Brands like PUMA are connecting with their communities through football and fashion, and the Avanti is a sick sneaker that heroes football heritage in fashion,” Beckham says.
“Vintage football shirts have always been worn in street fashion, and now, especially in London, current team jerseys are a big part of the street style uniform.”
It’s no secret that the PUMA is currently on a stellar run, including successful team-ups with Rihanna and her beau A$AP Rocky. PUMA’s sporty archival models, like the Avanti and Speedcat, continue to generate buzz amongst the retro fashion lovers and longtime PUMA fans. Beckham, too.
“I’m seeing PUMA everywhere, from fashion week to the streets of London, NYC, and Miami,” Beckham says.
“Everything PUMA is rooted in sports, and the Avanti’s are deeply tied to the sport of football, and it was really great to be part of a campaign that highlighted this.”
FENTY x PUMA’s latest Avanti sneakers will launch on October 17 at PUMA and select stockists.