Rihanna Named Creative Director Of Puma

Rihanna has been named creative director of Puma, overseeing the direction of the womenswear line, and will join famous sportsmen including Usain Bolt and Mario Balotelli as a brand ambassador. The singer arrived at the company's headquarters in Germany yesterday and had her first creative meeting with the design team.

Having signed a "multi-year partnership" with the company, Rihanna will take a "hands-on approach," WWD reports, working on Puma's fitness and training collections across apparel as well as shoes.

Rihanna 

Rihanna "will work with Puma to design and customise classic Puma styles as well as create new styles to add to the Puma product portfolio," Puma said in a statement today.

"Signing Rihanna is a fantastic step for Puma," Bjørn Gulden, Puma's chief executive officer, said. "Her global profile, her charisma and individuality, her ambition - all these things make her a perfect ambassador for our brand. With a strong portfolio in football, running and motorsport, finding an inspiring partner for women's training was very important. Rihanna was a natural choice for us. We're delighted to have her as a partner, and we're looking forward to what's to come."

Puma, which is owned by Kering, is currently undergoing a makeover to help it compete with the big two - Nike and Adidas - in terms of sales and brand reach. It's far from Rihanna's first foray into fashion, with successful link-ups with labels including River Island, MAC, Giorgio Armani, Balmain and Gucci all already on her CV.