Rihanna showed off her newest Fenty x Puma Avanti sneakers while attending the Manchester City vs. AC Milan soccer game in New York City on July 27. Now crafted in red and white options, the latest version of the soccer-inspired shoes is slated to release in the fall.
At Yankee Stadium on Saturday where the two Puma teams faced off, the Fenty x Puma suite welcomed Wisdom Kaye, Richie Shazam, Rickey Thompson, Anya Tisdale, Phaith Montoya, Eden Masliah, Valerie Zhang, Eva Gutowski, Tyshon Lawrence and Alana Lintao. Alongside Rihanna, the guests matched their soccer-themed outfits to the new Avantis.
Also at the event, Rihanna connected with Puma soccer players Jack Grealish, Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah.
The Avanti sneaker was first released in 2001, blending the designs of the 1978 running sneaker known as Easy Rider and the 1998 Jil Sander King football shoe; the Avanti includes the leather of the King and the outsole of the Easy Rider.
“Football is a universal language that brings people together from all over the world, all walks of life, and I wanted to pay homage to that,” Rihanna told FN last year for her cover story ahead of the Fenty x Puma Avanti debut.
The collaborative shoe was initially released in a black/white colorway and a chrome version; it was soon made available in colorways known as Dark Myrtle and Club Navy. In February, Puma and Rihanna shook things up by releasing the limited-edition Avanti Pony, a calf hair shoe created in a white option and a brown and white animal print version.
Rihanna’s ongoing partnership with Puma also includes the popular Creeper sneaker; the Creeper Phatty “In Session” shoes were recently released in all-black and red/white colorways; Rihanna modeled the black version in New York City earlier this month.
