Global Sports Brand PUMA, together with Illumination and Universal Brand Development, announced a multi-season partnership with Gru’s loyal and mischievous Minions from the blockbuster Despicable Me franchise. As PUMA’s latest Creative Collaborators, the Minions join the roster of creatives who give inspiration and lend their unique design aesthetic to PUMA’s Sportstyle product range. For Autumn-Winter 2017, just in time for their next onscreen adventure in Despicable Me 3, the Minions bring their subversive sweetness to PUMA Sportstyle.

As the Minions have existed since the dawn of time, one can expect they have extensive knowledge in the arts and design. In fact, they celebrated and influenced such eras as the Renaissance and the turn-of-the-century’s popular-culture revolution. Since their breakout role in Despicable Me in 2010, the Minions have become pop-cultural icons who continue to inspire artists, designers and global tastemakers.

For this collaborative footwear and apparel collection with PUMA that debuts in Autumn-Winter, Minions Stuart, Carl and Kevin rendered their playful yet fashionably luxe designs on PUMA’s sports-inspired styles. They created a new pattern and added splashes of color, plenty of goggles, and more. PUMA’s classic silhouettes, like the PUMA Suede, get a fresh makeover in premium tonal black upper—with custom Minions-painted graphic insoles that are finished by a debossed collaboration logo (featuring the PUMA No. 1 logo and the Minions’ logo).

Heiko Desens, PUMA Creative Director for Sportstyle, comments on the partnership: “We’re very excited to have partnered with the Minions for a collaborative collection. Their mischievous and playful nature fits the PUMA DNA to a T. Apart from their zest for life and endearing character, they inspire us in many ways; they’re extremely hardworking and passionately creative. We welcome the Minions to the PUMA Family.”

“For the past seven years, Minions have engaged people of all ages and cultures with their unexpected, often subversive behavior,” said Gail Harrison, President of Marketing and Branding, Illumination Entertainment. “For the first time, Illumination has identified three Minions with passion for design to interrupt PUMA’s highly successful creative process. This all-new collection combines our favorite classic PUMA styles with an unorthodox measure of bananas, mishaps and more. In true Minion form, they fail upwards again.
“PUMA has a long-established reputation as a leading creative force in footwear design,” said Manuel Torres Port, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Consumer Products, Universal Brand Development. “A collaboration with the Minions is a natural fit for PUMA, as the Minions are global pop icons who are just as fashionable as they are timeless.”

The PUMA x Minions footwear, apparel and accessories—adults range—drops globally on PUMA.com, PUMA stores and select lifestyle retailers like Colette and Opening Ceremony starting June 1st. The Kids’ collection will be available on PUMA.com, PUMA stores and kids’ retailers. Despicable Me 3 arrives in theaters on June 30.

(PUMA Press Release)