We’re big Puma fans over here at KicksOneTwo. Everything from the classic Suedes to the recent collaborative Disc Blazes they did with Bape, we’re with it. Puma is a classic brand, and they’ll always be respected for their impact on the sportswear and sneaker games.
However they’ve been going through a rough patch recently, and they just can’t seem to stop taking L’s. Their shoes always seem to be on sale (the whole Puma website and all their retail locations were 50% off everything for a long stretch), and the moves they’ve been making on a creative level don’t seem to be making any sense.
Their support of rappers and hip-hop culture has always been great (they’ve been long-time supporters of artists like Meek Mill and Casey Veggies), but their recent moves don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. First, they appointed Rihanna as creative director, a move that brought a lot of shock value and headlines, but not a whole lot of results. Sure, her Creepers sold well, but what’s come out of that partnership apart from that? You know it can’t have been cheap for them to sign her up, and you can’t help but wonder if they recouped their original investment.
However, that’s understandable. They got a decent collaboration and some buzz, so the rest can be brushed aside. But now they’ve gone and (reportedly) signed up Kylie Jenner.
Kylie Jenner? Really? Yeah, Kylie Jenner. The deal is supposed to be for seven figures (sheesh), and will be different from Rihanna’s “creative director” position. But you’ve got to ask yourself one question: What in God’s name could Kylie Jenner do for Puma that’s worth a 7-figure contract?
Sure, you get the annoying but unmistakable power of the Kardashian-Jenner publicity machine, but does anyone really care about Kylie Jenner’s style or what she thinks about fashion? She doesn’t even dress herself. Ian Connor is her stylist. You might as well just go ahead and sign up Ian Connor instead. Sure, Kylie is gorgeous, but 7 figures? Puma is gonna need to go ahead and hold this L.
Plus, they now have to deal with an angry Kanye West, who tweeted that Puma can “have their measly million dollars back” and that they can’t “divide the family” among other hilarious quotes that only someone like Ye’ would be able to get away with. Will this put a stop to the whole Kylie/Puma train before it even really starts? We’ll just have to wait and see what Puma’s next step is.
Whatever moves they make in the future, we can only hope they get back to their roots and produce more clean, wearable shoes. The moves they’ve been making don’t seem to make a whole heck of a lot of sense, and hopefully they’ll turn it around and get back to collaborating with innovators as well as producing more of the clean designs that made them popular in the first place.
What do you think of Puma’s signing of Kylie Jenner? Is it brilliant or foolish? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, check out our Facebook page for daily updates, and, as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.
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