On May 4, amidst the chaos consuming the Miami Autodrome three days before its main feat, one paddock was already celebrating. Champagne spilled — purposely and accidentally — onto the floor as PUMA and Formula 1 execs celebrated their finally-announced exclusive partnership for all F1 merch through the 2024 season.
Just outside the paddock, A$AP Rocky posed for photos with fans and friends, sporting unreleased PUMA kicks that no one could identify. Elsewhere, Skepta calmly sipped an iced cocktail, completely kitted out in a PUMA tracksuit.
June Ambrose – the legendary stylist and costume designer behind some of hip hop’s most iconic looks (see: Missy Elliott, Diddy, JAY-Z) chatted to the gathered crowd about the significance of the major brand partnership as well as the history of motorsport in American fashion.
“We were using [motorsport] in music videos, taking inspiration from the culture and recreating it in luxury fabrics,” Ambrose recalled.
Ambrose, who’s currently serving as the Creative Director for PUMA’s basketball-centric Hoops line, also designed the just-dropped PUMA x Ferrari collaboration, which she effortlessly sported at the Formula 1 press conference.
We won’t be seeing any official merch from PUMA and F1 until February 2024 but it seems evident that PUMA’s lined up the right people to do something exciting in the racing space.
