Jil Sander and Puma continue their collaboration with a refined take on the King Avanti football sneaker, launching in limited numbers
In 1998, Jil Sander partnered with Puma to reinterpret the brand’s classic football lace-ups as luxury leather sneakers. What started as a single elevated take on a traditional silhouette evolved into a multi-collection collaboration that blended the worlds of luxury and sports. The partnership, launched during a period of cultural change, left a lasting impact on the sneaker industry, establishing a tone described as “unassuming, refined, and ahead of its time.”
Almost three decades later, Jil Sander, now under the creative direction of Simone Bellotti, and Puma have resumed their collaboration, exploring shared values of pureness, precision, and purposefulness.
The renewed partnership begins with the revival of the King Avanti football silhouette, noted for its distinctive flap and clean lines. The updated version is crafted in premium leather, featuring the Jil Sander logo in golden foil. The tongue flap carries the Puma logo on top, with the Jil Sander logo on the inside.
As a house “based on the power of heightened simplification, and the energy released by the contrast of strictness and lightness,” Jil Sander, under Bellotti, continues to use repetition as “an affirmative act in which nothing is ever the same,” emphasizing ongoing refinements as a path to meaningful progress.
The navy-blue unisex sneaker will be available in limited quantities, exclusively through selected Jil Sander stores and jilsander.com starting 14 October 2025. This release marks the first drop in an ongoing program, with a second installment planned for March 2026.
