The fierce rivalry that started the two sportswear giants PUMA and adidas in the same little village of Herzogenaurach in Germany many years ago, still goes on today. Even if adidas has long passed PUMA in terms of revenue and volume, it seems like PUMA is still eager to catch up and according to its CEO, the brand’s collaboration with singer Rihanna is one way of getting there. PUMA is coming out of a strong financial quarter with sales having risen to 853 Million Euros. PUMA has certainly been on a roll as well, thanks to collaborations with BAPE and Stampd, as well as its extremely popular FENTY collection with Rihanna.

“One highlight for PUMA in the first quarter was the FENTY PUMA by Rihanna fashion show at New York Fashion Week in February. A series of styles for the female consumer have been launched successfully, both in collaboration with Rihanna as well as in our inline collection. Key footwear styles such as Creeper and FENTY Trainer sold out within weeks or days.”

The womens athleisure business is growing fast and has been a focus for both adidas and Nike in the past few seasons. Therefore seeing PUMA work with Rihanna and that being a smart move completely makes sense. The PUMA CEO Bjorn Gulden went on to say that the women’s business has helped grow the men’s side as well. It looks like the German sportswear company is bullish on the rest of the year as well. We will keep you posted!

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