The sneaker industry’s most consequential celebrity partnership is over. Sources have confirmed that Rihanna and PUMA have parted ways, with the multi-hyphenate mogul choosing not to renew the latest contract that brought FENTY x PUMA back to life in March 2023 — and a candid street-style moment may have already written the announcement for her.
A Partnership That Changed The Game
When PUMA appointed Rihanna as creative director of its women’s division in December 2014, the German sportswear brand was searching for traction in hype culture. What followed redefined what celebrity sneaker deals could look like. The FENTY x PUMA Creeper — a platform riff on PUMA’s classic Suede — sold out instantly upon release, earned Footwear News’ Shoe of the Year in 2016, and helped push PUMA’s fourth-quarter 2015 sales to roughly $975 million, a 17 percent jump year-over-year. Four New York and Paris fashion shows later, the original era concluded in 2018 having permanently altered the women’s sneaker market.
The 2.0 Era: Solid, But Not Seismic
The revival, announced with the minimalist “She’s Back” press release following Rihanna’s record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime performance, kicked off in September 2023 with the football-inspired Avanti silhouette. Over the following two-plus years, the partnership produced more than twenty sneaker drops — including the Creeper Phatty, the Cat Cleat sandal, and even a Smurfs movie collaboration. The final release arrived in October 2025 with cleat-inspired kitten heel slip-ons and new Avanti LS-X colorways. Despite the breadth of output, the second chapter never recaptured the cultural lightning-in-a-bottle energy of the first.
A Nike Sighting And A Family Split
The unofficial announcement came not from a press release, but from a New York City sidewalk. Paparazzi recently photographed Rihanna wearing a pair of Jacquemus x Nike Moon Shoes — a direct competitor to her then-active brand deal. For someone historically loyal to her active partners, the image landed like a statement. According to industry reports, the split is entirely amicable and simply the result of the contract running its natural course. The departure also appears to be a family affair: A$AP Rocky’s creative partnership with PUMA is similarly winding down, with his final collaborative designs expected to hit retailers this spring.
What Comes Next
With Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty both thriving under the LVMH umbrella, Rihanna is in no rush to sign another footwear deal. PUMA, meanwhile, is pivoting its celebrity strategy toward ROSÉ and designer Salehe Bembury — the latter already working on a TRVL WEAR collection for the 2026 World Cup. Whether Rihanna eventually formalizes a Nike partnership, launches something entirely on her own terms, or simply enjoys wearing whatever she wants, her legacy in women’s sneaker culture is already permanent.
