![test](https://www.puma-catchup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PUMA-Paris-Fashion-Week-2025-Header-750x417.png)
“Sport is so
relevant in fashion!"
Heiko Desens talks PUMAs Fashion Week Strategy
January 30, 2025Heiko Desens talks PUMAs Fashion Week Strategy
January 30, 2025PUMA took center stage at Paris Fashion Week in January with a four-day spectacle that was all about the Mostro. To learn more about the event, we caught up with our Vice President Creative Direction & Innovation, Heiko Desens, who explained how Fashion Week fits into our brand elevation strategy, how it grows our business and how sport has become relevant in high fashion.
Heiko, we took over the famous Galerie Joseph for PUMA’s Paris Fashion Week, with exclusive product previews, collector-led exhibition spaces, and much more. How are we elevating the brand with such events?
Heiko: For us, Paris is a great opportunity to position our elevated sportswear, as Fashion Week has become the central event for global streetwear and sportswear buyers and influencers. Paris is the most important Fashion Week date for us – both summer and winter. We meet influencers here but also our key accounts and buyers from the elevated and premium segments.
How do sports and high fashion go together?
Heiko: Right now, I am sitting near the Seine, it is lunchtime, and there are hundreds of runners out and about – all well styled, wearing expensive and high-tech sneakers. Running is a lifestyle these days, and sport and fashion go hand in hand. People invest in expensive clothes and work on their bodies at the same time – they want to look good and feel good. That is why sport is so relevant in fashion. Running, in particular, is booming and has gained cultural significance – especially for the target groups we meet during Fashion Week.
How are you selecting the products that we present at Fashion Week?
Heiko: The products for Fashion Week come from our Select Collections, which we create for the exact target groups who attend the event – our elevated distribution channels. Our selection is based on the current sports culture trends that are also relevant for these target groups. Right now, the trend is a mix of low-profile and running shoes. On the Apparel side, we are focusing on football influences.
Fashion Week is not just a lifestyle event, we also do business here. Since we started coming to Fashion Weeks, our Select area has grown significantly. Initially, we had around 40 visitors, this year we have 175 accounts visiting.
How does this contribute to our brand elevation strategy?
Heiko: The product selection is very much about credibility and authenticity, especially for customer groups who are willing to spend a bit more. They expect high quality products, but also, they need them to feel authentic and credible to justify spending more. Currently, we are focusing on motorsport and low-profile designs, like the Mostro or Speedcat – products that capture the zeitgeist and also underline our sports DNA. They still have their roots in sports and this connection helps us stay credible and relevant with target audiences, who are, you could say, shaping the definition of cool brands.
How important will these fashion events and products be in our strategy in the future?
Heiko: In Paris, we meet relevant people – both influencers who shape trends and business contacts – who are not regulars in our showrooms in Herzogenaurach. Fashion Week is not just a lifestyle event, we also do business here. Since we started coming to Fashion Weeks, our Select area has grown significantly. Initially, we had around 40 visitors, this year we have 175 accounts visiting.
Heiko: We offer exclusive collections with short timelines that are only shown here – which naturally increases our desirability and visibility. For example, we have the Aston Martin capsule here in Paris, which we are launching with Select at the end of the year and is only available here, and that makes it desirable. This exclusivity, together with the limited distribution and short lifecycles, attracts customers. They want collections that are close to the market and aligned with current trends, without needing to plan years in advance.
We have talked a lot about our Footwear but what is our strategy in Apparel?
Heiko: We are now focusing more on our cultural proximity to soccer, one of the biggest global trends at the moment. Football jerseys have been the hottest thing in the last two years, and we can score points here with our authenticity and proximity to the club. In addition, the health and fitness trend are moving into focus—especially running. Running is accessible and fits in perfectly with the health and fitness theme, and we see this as a huge opportunity. In addition to our high-performance products, we are also investing in cultural and trend-based approaches in Apparel. The feedback we received in Paris is great.
How are we planning to reposition our Prime Business as part of our brand elevation strategy?
Heiko: That has already happened. Last year, we overhauled our portfolio, did a reset and introduced new technologies and consistent franchises. We have also developed a timeless Elevated Running Basics program, which has now been presented in the showroom for SS25. The portfolio is focused and looks great – now we can take off with the Apparel.
Speaking of taking off: What else is planned for this year in terms of fashion shows or Fashion Weeks?
Heiko: We have two dates. The first is now in January, Mens Fashion Week in Paris, and then there’s the summer date in June, also in Paris. Those are our two main gigs in terms of Fashion Weeks.
And can we already hint a little at what will be shown in June or what the focus will be on?
Heiko: We’re starting with H-Street. It also has retro-running DNA. It’s a hybrid of a sprint and a retro running shoe. The activation will start soon and in Paris, we’ll really kick it off.
So running will be with us for a while?
Heiko: I think there is so much more to come in the running space. We’re still at the starting line!