As we have a vast archive at our disposal, our designers can take inspiration from almost 75 years of history to create fashion forward and relevant products for our customers. A prime example in 2022 was the SLIPSTREAM, which was introduced by our ambassadors Neymar Jr, Danna Paola and Romeo Beckham in June. With the SLIPSTREAM, PUMA brought back the classic design from the 1980s to make a clean and modern sneaker.
Our global ambassadors also launched their personal collections with us. Pop superstar Dua Lipa presented her second “FLUTUR” collection, which caught our customers’ attention with bright colors, form-fitting looks and an aesthetic inspired by old-school rave culture.
Neymar Jr, who supported the launch of many of our products in 2022, worked with us on his first personal PUMA collection, which celebrated his home country Brazil by using a unique graphic language that took inspiration from Brazilian football, the street art of his native São Paulo and his tattoos.
We continued to invest heavily in our Performance Running and innovative NITRO technology and launched new versions of our performance football boots ULTRA and FUTURE in unisex and women’s specific fits.
Together with French fashion brand AMI, we designed an exclusive collection that combined tailoring and innovative sportswear design with minimalistic branding. The collection received great media attention and positive feedback from our most influential fashion retailers.
With Palomo Spain we created a collection which explored team sports with a retro edge and merged it with Palomo’s signature couture-infused, romantic and gender-neutral designs.
For our show at New York Fashion Week, we created the never-seen-before NITRO NFRNO and NITRO FASTROID sneakers for which our in-house designers pushed the creative boundaries to envision what a 3D digital sneaker could look like. It was the first time PUMA entered this far into the Web3 space, as we established the first PUMA-owned NFT which linked digital design with in-real-life physical product.
The two sneakers were linked to our NFT NitroPass and those consumers who minted a NitroPass received two NFTs – one tied to physical products and one that unlocked a customized experience linked to their chosen shoe. Following the FUTROGRADE show, minters could claim their physical sneakers by burning their product-claimed NFT.
As part of our strategy to create the right products for women, we developed a range of period underwear and activewear with Australian company Modibodi, which helps women stay active during their periods. Among our Women’s footwear products, MAYZE and CALI saw the highest sales. We also expanded our successful RIDER franchise with a version for women, the KOSMO RIDER, which was promoted by social-media star and music artist Dixie D’Amelio.
We elevated our Motorsport offering with our partner Ferrari to create the premium ION F sneakers and we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911 RS 2.7 car with a limited edition of our classic SUEDE, which was sold out in hours.
In Basketball, a special version of LaMelo Ball’s signature shoe MB.01, in collaboration with the animated series “Rick and Morty”, became one of our most sought-after sneakers of 2022. Later in the year, we introduced LaMelo Ball’s second signature shoe, the MB.02.
Our Accessories business presented a limited-edition headwear collection, called “Hometown Heroes”, which paid homage to street culture of different eras. The launch was supported by some of our global ambassadors from Teamsport, Basketball and music.
With the launch of PUMA’s padel collection, including rackets, Footwear, Apparel and Accessories, as well as the PUMA SEASONS outdoor collection, we entered new categories. This was part of an increasing number of locally developed products.
RE:COLLECTION was a range of products with a sustainability focus for Sportstyle, Running & Training and Motorsport, which showed how recycled materials can create a unique look. Depending on the style, the products were made with between 20% and 100% recycled materials.
Research and product development at PUMA mainly comprise the areas of innovation (new technologies), product design and model and collection development. The research and product development activities range from the analysis of scientific studies and customer surveys through the generation of creative ideas to the implementation of innovations in commercial products. The activities in research and product development are directly linked to sourcing activities.
As of December 31, 2022, a total of 1,307 people were employed in research and development/ product management (previous year: 1,136). In 2022, research and development/ product management expenses totaled € 153.1 million (previous year: € 114.5 million), of which € 82.2 million (previous year: € 61.7 million) related to research and development.
