FWD. “Salma Hayek will soon add another title to her résumé: godmother. The actress and mother of Valentina Paloma is slated to be Puma’s godmother for the company’s new boat and its ocean racing team…Puma launched into the sailing category this year and commissioned Goetz Custom Boats to build the lifestyle brand’s new Volvo Open 70, which will compete in the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.”

The Volvo Ocean Race starts in October and should finish up in June/July St. Petersburg. Pictured above is a shot of Puma training vessel, the Avanti. Check the stitching detail on that mast. Dont expect this one to race. We’re hearing that the new vessel looks completely different. As, Puma is launching a performance gear line and lifestyle line around the team to hit the market in May.

Puma has teamed up with Serpentine Gallery to create the Reality Bag as part of their Spring/Summer ‘08 Urban Mobility Range.

“Working with Julia Peyton-Jones and Hans Ulrich Obrist, PUMA created The Reality Bag as part of its ongoing commitment to helping support young talent. PUMA will donate US$100 to the Serpentine Gallery’s Education and Public Programmes from every bag sold, which represents an integral part of the Gallery’s long-standing commitment to supporting art, architecture and design.

The Reality Bag is an exciting new product, adapted from the PUMA Urban Mobility Edition Bag, which launched last season. The Reality Bag is designed to reflect the world inside and out through a clever use of innovative materials and design detail. To develop the concept of this original accessory, the Serpentine Gallery invited artist John Armleder to create its look and feel. Armleder also created the concept of the content and invited young artists to create artworks to go inside each of the 1000 Reality Bags. This makes The Reality Bag an original, multiple artwork containing original pieces by the artist himself and by invitees including John Trembley and Philippe Decreuzat. Many other artists will contribute books, DVDs, or anthologies, as Armleder plays with the idea of the bag as a portable gallery. The result is a truly individual work of art.”

Definitely an interesting project and the right direction by Puma. A couple of months ago we were a bit worried about the direction of the brand. Once a sport brand, they are now more known for their fashion inspired collections and collaborations. That of course also makes business more volatile, because trends can be over at a certain point of time. But so far, Puma does not seem to slow down, and in part that is due to special projects such as this one.

The Reality Bag will go on sale at select store as of January ‘08.

Lately it is interesting to watch some of the classic sports brands re-appear. In general if you look at the sports goods sector, the success did not really come with innovation but rather revival of the classics. If you look at the giants in the market such as Nike, Adidas, Puma – in recent years we see hundreds of re-releases of shoes that first came out 15-25 years ago. Nike is running a vintage campaign for basically every sneaker that they designed prior to 1990. Adidas and Puma is no different. With the huge success of these brands with “old” remixed product, it only seems to make sense that sports brands that used to be big should go for a comeback. Exactly that is happening right now.

Starter (now part of Nike) is planning a massive campaign for 2008. Reebok, which lost so much over the years is slowly fighting its way back. The biggest comeback in recent years probably came from Converse. Champion is also working hard to establish itself again. They are right now running the “See How You Play” campaign with ads appearing in Vogue and InStyle. Champion in Vogue? Yes, you heard right.

Anyways, here below you see a video from the new Champion campaign. It is a very interesting market to watch. How long will these brands be able to succeed with “old” product, and when does the consumer finally step in and demand exciting new innovation. We think 2008/09 will be an interesting time in this market!

With still enough time to add to your gift list, Puma introduces a limited edition package to its Black stores in New York and Tokyo.  The package includes tricked out bikes with matching kicks, gear and accessories.

The bikes come in four different styles: the BMX in pink with green accents, the Beach Cruiser in blue with white accents, the Touring bike in black with brown accents, and the Road Bike in green. There will only be one of each style available in the US, which means you are guaranteed to be the only one on your block, in your city, state and country with this bike. The footwear also marks the return of the iconic PUMA SPRINT shoe. Along with the shoe there will be a matching SPRINT jacket, modeled after the Urban Mobility lightweight jacket. The accessories, which include a courier bags, a belt and a small wallet, also makes perfect stocking stuffers. Regardless if you are buying this for yourself or a friend this is the ultimate holiday gift package.

Available exclusively at the:

PUMA Black Store

421 West 14th St.

New York, New York 10014

212-206-0109

Check out the three other bikes after the jump.

The Puma Argentina has been successfully brought back from the archive this year and so far Puma has already released some interesting variations of the sneaker. Here we present you now the Puma Argentina Winter. The shoe feature a premium leather brown upper with orange accents. Brown and orange has and will always go nicely together. The most interesting part about these sneakers is the Thinsulate insulation, which will keep your feet warm and dry this winter season.

The limited edition Puma Argentina Winter is now available at End. More detailed pictures after the jump.

With Mongolian barbeques, the question isn’t always chicken or beef. Now that Puma and W hotels have teamed up to launch a Mongolian shoe barbeque, it’s also a question of leather or suede, red or purple, as W Hotel guests now have the opportunity to create their own custom-made Puma shoes in the privacy of their rooms.

Inspired by the tradition of creating personalized meals from a variety of ingredients, Puma’s collection for W Hotels enables guests to become involved in the art of shoemaking; they can pick from a wide assortment of pre-cut materials to design their own individualized pair of shoes. Unique accoutrements, including special W shoelaces and insoles, add to the ultimate practical souvenir. The concept launched at Puma stores in 2005 but a portable tray of options has been created especially for easy room delivery, which W’s exclusive Whatever/Whenever concierge service will transport. After selecting a desired combination, guests can go online and order their shoes at www.puma.com/whotels. The site will launch on November 14, marking the start of the one-year collaboration between W and Puma. Prices begin at $100 and guests will receive their customized kicks within six weeks of ordering.

Definitely an interesting move from Puma and a nice way of branding their Mongolian BBQ in a more high end market.