John Kim 
Apparently the big news today is what every sneaker and lifestyle blog has been raving about – Rihanna joining forces with Puma as a “Creative Director” for the brand’s women’s division. It’s a shrewd move to lock down such a powerfully influential woman in the world of fashion and it’s quite obvious that every brand out there has tried to lock down the bad gal to do some good. With a multi-year buy already inked on paper, Rihanna will no longer be available to provide her services to other suitors, but what does it really mean when Rihanna, or any celebrity, is given such a lofty title? Better yet, what is the impact when a celebrity aligns with a brand?
Almost every large footwear company across the board has entered the phase of signing on celebrities in an effort to move the needle in brand awareness or sales. Of all the big names we’ve come across, Kanye West is the only figure to be credited with praiseworthy design work, which is why his decision to join adidas is projected to make a major impact whenever it officially launches (and why a crappy camera phone photo was one of the biggest stories of November). Let’s take a walk through these recent industry/celebrity moves and examine what each partnership could produce.
PUMA names Rihanna Creative Director of Women’s Category
Puma doesn’t immediately come to mind when considering the most relevant brands in the sneaker scene, but the German label is certainly an established name on a worldwide scale. Women are already fairly keen on their items (those fitted “racing sneakers” were the “Roshe” back in the day for the ladies), and with the women’s sportswear category growing incredibly fast, it was time for foreign-brand to make a splash. Now does having Rihanna being a creative director (a glorified title for “endorsed celebrity”) give it the push it needs? While it won’t do much for men’s footwear, Rihanna’s faithful fans (14 million followers on IG, for example) will definitely notice a change.
Mini Sneakers mit Glitter Rosa
The brand that popularized the signature hip-hop celebrity in the early 2000s returned to their roots by appointing hip-hop star/producer Swizz Beatz an important position in the Classics relaunch strategy. While Reebok was a consistent headline maker since 2011, the fact of the matter is that the hype died down once the brand re-released their prized shoes (the Question, Kamikaze, Shaq, etc.) and Swizz Beatz name was far from a resounding theme. And now that the brand has almost exhausted the top tier of their retro footwear, the Swizz Beatz x Reebok partnership isn’t a hitmaker anymore.
Nike give Kanye West his own signature shoe
Perhaps the most un-Nike move made by Nike was giving Kanye West a signature shoe in 2009. While the Swoosh was very much into “product seeding” and ensuring that the world’s most followed celebrities were rocking Nike on a consistent basis, Kanye was given unprecedented access and pretty much designed a shoe from scratch (although the final versions didn’t reflect his original concepts). It doesn’t need to be said that the Air Yeezy and the sequel that followed changed the sneaker game; reselling prices reached all-time highs and Kanye, who was already one of the most influential celebrity sneakerheads, opened the door for other celebrities to get their respective shines on with other labels.
Kanye West signs with adidas
One of the biggest headlines in all of 2013 was the news of Kanye West joining Nike rival adidas. This immediately moved the needle on an adidas Originals label that was struggling in the US market, and retailers nationwide felt the pressure from their regulars to put in more orders for the three stripes. An adidas x Kanye sneaker has yet to happen, but it is currently the most anticipated sneaker release at the moment. On top of that, whatever adidas shoes he wears (Qasa, SL Loop, Pure Boost) is suddenly much more appealing.
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The brand that Jordan built is now adding a select group of hip-hop artists to its roster of endorsees that are strictly pro-athletes. Drake and Macklemore are two of the trendiest names in the world of hip-hop, and the PEs that they are awarded give the eBay sellers and The green fabricators some fresh meat to deal with. Thus far, the PEs are the only thing to have really come from these partnerships, which has us wondering what, if at all, Jordan Brand has in store for the public other than fueling the desire for rare sneakers.
adidas’ stable of hip-hop stars
adidas Originals has been the most active in bringing in celebrities, and they’re certainly not ashamed of it. It’s almost like a revolving door in regards to these entertainers getting short-term shoe deals, but overall, adidas has a pretty solid roster of guys to work with (Big Sean, 2Chainz, Pharrell, etc.). How these guys differ from Kanye is that the Kardashian hubby is doing some actual product development and management, while the former group is all but given a completely designed sneaker and have the luxury of attaching their names to it. These “collaborations” have made adidas Originals footwear much more appealing, but has it really had a major effect in terms of sales and brand awareness?
Reebok’s stable of hip-hop stars
Under Swizz Beatz was another group of hip-hop artists largely from Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. Much like how adidas Originals has dealt with its talent, Reebok Classics has employed a revolving door of sorts and has seen some big names go in and out regularly, and other celebrities (Bow Wow, for example) have spoken openly about wanted to “get that Reebok money”. Their biggest acquisition is, by far, Kendrick Lamar, a hip-hop artist who is certainly at the top of his game. But despite his acumen with a mic, we don’t see K-Dot doing much for a struggling Reebok Classics except for prohibiting him from wearing his prized white Cortez sneakers.
