Jay-Z takes on new role as Puma creative director
In a surprise move, Puma has named rapper Jay-Z as its new Creative Director, tapping into his personal network to bring artists and basketball players over to the brand, reports Rolling Stone.
“I can confirm that according to his deal with Puma, Jay-Z’s official designation is Creative Director,” Adam Petrick, global director of marketing and brand for Puma, told ESPN. “I referred to him (earlier) today by an informal designation.” He was first referred to as President of Basketball Operations.
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“We’re making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused,” Petrick said.
In his new role, Jay is expected to help the brand raise its profile by recruiting basketball players and artists. That’ll be a breeze for the husband of superstar Beyonce, who is also part owner of the Brooklyn Nets.
“We’ve been working with Roc Nation for quite some time. They’ve been great partners to us for several years. We’ve done many different deals with many different ambassadors,” Petrick told Complex, adding the job “was something [Jay-Z] wanted to be a part of.”
Jay will also help drive the brand’s creative direction. And he’s already done some of the footwork, when he collaborated with Puma and they gave him merchandise for his 4:44 album tour.
“It’s clear that we’re looking at basketball through the lens of culture, and thinking about the fashion of basketball, the music of basketball—all the aspects of culture around basketball, all the aspects of culture around basketball as much as the on-court presence that we will have,””Petrick said.
According to reports, Puma has also signed endorsement deals with DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith, who are NBA draft-eligible players.
Rihanna is also a brand ambassador new motocross-inspired spring collection by Fenty and PUMA, FENTYxPUMA collection.
