PUMA will work with Dutch designer Marcel Wanders on a design-focused accessories line. The collaboration is set to debut in Spring 2007.
“PUMA uses collaboration as two worlds coming together to make a product that is unique and fresh,” said Antonio Bertone, Director of Global Brand Management for PUMA. “The objective of PUMAs co-op projects is for an outside designer to share a different perspective so that we can learn from one another. Marcel Wanders is a pioneer of the unexpected and the ideal partner for us in this venture.”
Marcel Wanders fame started with his iconic Knotted Chair, which he produced for Droog Design in 1996. He is now ubiquitous, designing for the biggest European contemporary design manufacturers like Cappellini, Bisazza, B&B Italia, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Droog Design and Moooi, of which he is founder and art director. His designs run from mass-produced objects to limited editions, from the Wanders Wonders collection, to interior and architectural projects. He was invited to be the guest editor of the International Design Yearbook 2005 and, in the same year, tried his hand in the hospitality business by realizing the highly acclaimed Lute Suites – a series of seven apartments near Amsterdam. Wanders work has been selected for all major design collections around the world.
“PUMA has a strong connection to changing culture and wants to stay close to cultural trends by being a leader at the same time,” said Marcel Wanders. “I love to find new areas for my creativity and create greater value for a larger audience. Although we are very different, we both believe we can create added value by inspiring our public in a seductive and creative way.”
The announcement was made at Design Boston 2006, Boston Design Centers annual market for the architecture and design communities. The Marcel Wanders PUMA collection will be unveiled during Tokyo Design Week on October 31, 2006 and then in New York and Amsterdam in November.
