Rumours in fashion land have finally been settled: Rihanna is officially Creative Director of Puma. Numerous sources hinted towards an upcoming collaboration between the iconic sportswear brand and super stylista singer (worth a tidy seven-figure sum, no less) and today, the announcement arrived.
In a statement released this afternoon, the brand's CEO said he's excited about what the star's global profile will bring to the brand. We can imagine! "Her charisma and individuality, her ambition – all these things make her a perfect ambassador for our brand," said Bjørn Gulden. "With a strong portfolio in football, running and motorsport, finding an inspiring partner for women’s training was very important. Rihanna was a natural choice for us. We’re delighted to have her as a partner, and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.”
As well as designing and customising classic Puma style and creating new product for the brand, RiRi will star in the Autumn Winter 2015 campaign and act as the company's global brand ambassador. She's in good company, naturally, taking the hotspot alongside sprinter Usain Bolt and football sprinted Mario Balotelli - but we think Madame Ri will be bringing the fash. "It’s great to find a brand that celebrates strength and individuality," she said. "I couldn't think of a more perfect partner to collaborate with as a creative director. I'm excited for you to see what Puma and I come up with.”
Rihanna knows how to do sportswear [Getty]
It's a match made in heaven, of course - Rihanna is the queen of street-inspired fashion (she was the very first to appear in Alexander Wang's line for H&M) and teams activewear with just about everything, from fine jewellery to heels. Although unlike many stars, she's not overly forthcoming with the fashion collabs. There have been sell-out lines for River Island and underwear and jeans for Armani, but that's about it. It's clear that Puma will have been a careful consideration for the artist, and proof, if any were needed, that the brand has some serious fashion clout.
**This isn't the first time that Puma have tapped the vision and style of the music industry's coolest kids, either. Solange Knowles announced her role as Art Director of the brand back in February 2014 and her saccharine pastel-toned running shoes were utterly covetable. All eyes should be kept on Puma.
We can't wait to see! Flick through our lookbook of Rihanna's best style hits in the meantime...
Rihanna Style - Best Dresses & Outfits
1 of 52Rihanna style 1
Rihanna wearing Balmain in Los Angeles - 19 June 2014
2 of 52Rihanna style 2
Rihanna in New York, August 2014
3 of 52Rihanna style 3
Rihanna in helmut Lang, New York - 18 August 2014
4 of 52Rihanna style 4
Rihanna in Alexander Haider Ackermann and Balenciaga, New York - 20 August 2014
5 of 52Rihanna style 5
Rihanna at a game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers on May 15, 2014
6 of 52Rihanna style 6
Melissa Forde and Rihanna attend an NBA playoff game between Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers on May 9, 2014
7 of 52Rihanna style 7
Rihanna attends the Christian Dior Cruise 2015 Show on May 7, 2014 in New York City
8 of 52Rihanna style 8
Rihanna attends the 2014 'Met Ball' on May 5th
9 of 52Rihanna style 9
Rihanna is seen at the after-party for The Costume Institute Benefit Gala on May 5, 2014 in New York
10 of 52Rihanna style 10
Rihanna in the audience at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards on May 1, 2014 in LA
11 of 52Rihanna style 11
Rihanna attends Roc Nation Sports 1 Year Anniversary Luncheon at TAO Downtown on April 28, 2014 in New York
12 of 52Rihanna style 12
Rihanna at the Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets playoff game on April 25, 2014 in New York
13 of 52Rihanna style 13
Rihanna at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards LA Live on April 13, 2014
14 of 52Rihanna style 14
Rihanna at Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9, 2014 in LA
15 of 52Rihanna style 15
Rihanna attends the Miu Miu show on March 5, 2014 in Paris, France wearing a Prada coat
16 of 52Rihanna style 16
Rihanna attends the Chanel show on March 4, 2014 in Paris, France dressed in Chanel
17 of 52Rihanna style 17
Rihanna attends the Stella McCartney show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015 on March 3, 2014 in Paris, France
18 of 52Rihanna style 18
Rihanna attends the Roc Nation pre-Grammy brunch on January 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California
19 of 52Rihanna style 19
Rihanna poses in the press room at the 2013 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 24, 2013 in Los Angeles, California
20 of 52Rihanna style 20
Rihanna in Alexander Wang out and about in London - 11 September 2013
21 of 52Rihanna style 21
Rihanna at Opening Ceremony at New York Fashion Week - September 2013
22 of 52Rihanna style 22
Rihanna at Alexander Wang after party at New York Fashion Week - September 2013
23 of 52Rihanna style 23
Rihanna in Balmain at 2013 MTV Video Music Awards after party - 25 August 2013
24 of 52Rihanna style 24
Rihanna at 'Lyon' restaurant, West Village, New York - 12 August 2013
25 of 52Rihanna style 25
Rihanna out and about in London - 20 July 2013
26 of 52Rihanna style 26
Rihanna in London - 18 July 2013
27 of 52Rihanna style 27
Rihanna in Rag & Bone out and about in Manchester - 16 July 2013
28 of 52Rihanna style 28
Rihanna in visor by Fleet Ilya out and about in London - 15 July 2013
29 of 52Rihanna style 29
Rihanna in Gareth Pugh out and about in London - 14 July 2013
30 of 52Rihanna style 30
Rihanna in Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci menswear and Versace shoes in Monaco - 13 July 2013
31 of 52Rihanna style 31
Rihanna in KTZ in Denmark - 6 July 2013
32 of 52Rihanna style 32
Rihanna in Tom Ford AW13 boots arriving in Poland - 6 July 2013
33 of 52Rihanna style 33
Rihanna at Chanel show, Haute Couture Fall Winter 2013, Paris Fashion Week - 2 July 2013
34 of 52Rihanna style 34
Rihanna out and about, London, Britain - 20 June 2013
35 of 52rexfeatures_4905797a
Oiut and about in New York - 17 July 2015 [Rex]
36 of 52rexfeatures_4901451h
Wearing Marni dress and Chanel loafers out and about in New York - 13 July 2015 [Rex]
37 of 52rexfeatures_4848985c
At the Dior Autumn/ Winter photocall in Tokyo - 16 June 2015 [Rex]
38 of 52rexfeatures_4818162h
Out and about in New York - 1 June 2015 [Rex]
39 of 52rexfeatures_4743047ne
At the Met Gala wearing Guo Pei - 4 May 2015 [Rex]
40 of 52rexfeatures_4606506i
At the Jimmy Kimmel Live show wearing Moschino - 1 April 2015 [Rex]
41 of 52rexfeatures_4577932bd
At the Home premiere wearing Dior - 22 March 2015 [Rex]
42 of 52rexfeatures_4527855a
At the Good Morning America show wearing Pascal Millet - 13 March 2015 [Rex]
43 of 52rexfeatures_4432844a
At the Fendi fashion store opening in New York - 13 February 2015 [Rex]
44 of 52rexfeatures_4419635g
At the Grammy Awards wearing Giambattista Valli - 8 February 2015 [Rex]
45 of 52rexfeatures_4327422j
Out and about in New York - 23 December 2014 [Rex]
46 of 52rexfeatures_4300882bl
At the Diamond Ball wearing Zac Posen - 11 December 2014 [Rex]
47 of 52rexfeatures_4273048ft
At the British Fashion Awards wearing Stella McCartney - 1 December 2014 [Rex]
48 of 52rexfeatures_4251833n
At the It's Not Over premiere wearing Altuzarra - 18 November 2014 [Rex]
49 of 52rexfeatures_4229814gv
At the amfAR Inspiration Gala wearing Tom Ford - 29 October 2014 [Rex]
50 of 52rexfeatures_4101836a
At the Edun show at New York Fashion Week - 7 September 2014 [Rex]
51 of 52rexfeatures_4101826j
Out and about in New York wearing Alexander Wang for H&M - 7 September 2014 [Rex]
52 of 52rexfeatures_4101452b
Out and about in New York wearing Adam Selman - 5 September 2014 [Rex]