CRYSTAL ANNIVERSARY: Swarovski is linking with Puma on the German sportswear brand’s 75th anniversary.
Through the crystal-maker’s Creators Lab division, geared at developing creative collaborations, Swarovski is adding sparkle to two signature Puma designs, the suede sneakers and a hoodie.
Crafted from forest green suede on a thick black sole, the sneakers are decked in rows of green Swarovski crystals and feature Puma’s 75th anniversary logo on the sock liner. The black oversize hoodie also bears the Puma logo dotted in green crystals.
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The two-piece Puma for Swarovski Creators Lab capsule collection debuts at select retailers and at the crystal maker’s e-commerce site on Monday. Sneakers retail at 450 euros while the hoodie is priced at 350 euros.
As reported, in 2021 the company, after a history of working with fashion designers, launched Swarovski Creators Lab, a platform dedicated to creating cutting-edge designs and collectible items in partnership with international brands. These included the development of sparkling sneakers with Golden Goose; special Amina Muaddi and Aquazzura sandals; Judith Leiber handbags; Nike Women’s Air Force 1 LXX sneakers; a FAO Schwarz nutcracker statuette, and a crystallized basketball with streetwear brand Market.
Last year, Swarovski Creators Lab embarked on its first ready-to-wear collaboration with Advisory Board Crystals, while earlier this year it partnered with the Dover Street Market Paris Brand Development hub for a trifecta of collaborations with emerging fashion brands. In particular, the Austrian company joined forces with Weinsanto, Liberal Youth Ministry and Phileo to develop exclusive styles of bag, apparel and footwear, respectively.
Swarovski Crystal Business, which in 2022 reported a 10 percent increase in sales to 1.83 billion euros, has a global reach with about 2,200 stores and 6,700 points of sale in more than 150 countries and employs more than 18,000 people. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), it forms the Swarovski Group.
Talking with WWD last month, newly minted Puma chief executive officer Arne Freundt said that collaborations remain integral to the brand’s strategy going forward, although a stronger focus on performance products is key in his agenda.
“We were the first company that really took our fashion lens into sports when we brought the two different industries together and provided a new, unexpected point of view,” he said.
Perhaps among the best-performing tie-ups for the German sportswear brand, Puma revealed earlier this year that it would restart its collaboration with Rihanna, who first took on the creative director role for a Puma womenswear line in 2014 and collaborated under her own name, Fenty x Puma. The partnership ended in the spring of 2018 and was resumed this year with the launch of the “Avanti” sneakers.