More than just a collection of stylish athletic wear, Rihanna’s FENTY x PUMA Avanti shoes collaboration is a reflection of her love for the game of soccer and aspirations for the next generation. In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, the multi-hyphenated mogul revealed how she wanted her FENTY X PUMA collaboration to not only take athletic wear to the next level, but to inspire her boys as well.
In her interview with Access Hollywood’s kid correspondent, Lyla, at the new tennis shoe’s debut, the 36-year-old mogul admits that she has always been obsessed with soccer cleats. Additionally, soccer legend, Pelé, used to wear the Avanti shoe. So, for Rihanna, the collaboration was a “soccer heaven” dream come true.
“I was inspired by the culture of it. I’ve always been obsessed with soccer cleats, because I was never a soccer player – not even at school. But I always loved it, and I always thought there was something aesthetically there that was enticing to me.”
The mother-of-two continued, “PUMA knows everything about soccer. There’s such a huge history here. I got the opportunity to recreate and re-embellish one of their classics – the Avanti – which was a shoe that king Pelé used to wear.”
The 36-year-old went on to say in her interview that her sons: RZA Athelston Mayers and Riot Rose Mayers were the inspiration behind her collab with PUMA.
“I wanted them to wear my shoes. That was probably a little selfish, right?” she jokingly admitted to Lyla. “I also wanted to inspire my kids,” she added of The Avanti design.
“I wanted to show them a new realm of creativity, because this is something that they could have missed in my lifetime. They’ll be able to see me as an entrepreneur and a businesswoman in beauty. They’ll be able to see me with apparel design, and even charity. But for them to see me design and reimagine things that are already there and a part of the world, and such a huge culture, it was a big deal for me to just get to do something I love and something they can experience from scratch.”
Rihanna shares her two sons with rapper, A$AP Rocky. Rihanna’s FENTY x PUMA Avanti shoes are available online at Puma.com.
Photo: Rihanna Instagram; Puma.com