In 2020, Puma announced fashion legend June Ambrose would be leading as their newest creative director where the award-winning costume designer would serve as a creative partner to the German sports brand. With a strong foothold in the industry matched with a notably keen eye for fashion and the culture, Ambrose would work with Puma to further emphasize the brand’s female consumer, including increasing visibility of its female athletes and focusing on more products for women. Fast forward to today in 2021, the newest creative director is gearing up to launch her first collection with Puma Hoops which is already making history before its release.
Titled “High Court”, the 25-piece collection serves as the first-ever women’s basketball collection for the PUMA brand. Under the creative touch of the fashion maven, the collection merges sport and style, offering a balance of functionality and luxury as apparel and footwear are meant to carry wearers on and off the court.
If you are familiar with June Ambrose‘s work and even her personal style, you know she is not afraid to go big and bold. She draws inspiration from the brand’s heritage designs like its iconic stripe,90s rugby sets and even the feline-inspired logo and name for innovative, lively prints like its leopard-camouflage pattern, which graces the Madison faux fur jacket and basketball shoes.
On the design process, June Ambrose shared in a recent Vogue interview: “I wanted elevated trims, I wanted bold color, transitional functionality, all while keeping in mind a sweet spot in terms of price. What does she need to cover up before she gets to the court? What does she put her shoes in when she’s training? How can she easily layer down and layer up? The journey of the athlete [and] the woman is what led to the design process.”
In addition to the aforementioned pieces, the collection also includes sportswear pieces like leggings, sports bras, shorts, and more that receive a fashion-forward update brought to life by Ambrose.
Celebrating the greatness and style of women including female basketball players who are often overlooked in comparison to male players, Ambrose brought along longtime friend and renowned director Hype Williams to capture the black and white campaign which features Katie Lou Samuelson, Jackie Young, Breanna Stewart, and Skylar Diggins-Smith of the WNBA.
She expresses, “When I look at them, I see strong women, mothers, friends, sisters, daughters—not just basketball players. I see them outside of the context of their job. They represent not only all-female basketball players but also all women in the game of life who have a passion in their eyes and a determination to win.”
The Puma Women’s Hoops High Court collection is set to release on Wednesday, December 1st.