Major congratulations are in order for June Ambrose, a celebrity stylist and award-winning costume designer who has recently been named a creative director for Puma.
Ambrose is not new to the fashion scene, not in any regard. The author is the longtime stylist to Jay-Z, although she’s also called other heavyweights like Miss Elliott, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Kylie Jenner and more her clients.
According to WWD, in Ambrose’s new partnership with Puma she will “initially work on the women’s and girls’ collections, with the first merchandise expected to be released next summer.”
“Jay [Jay-Z], Emory Jones and I have had many conversations about style, sport, purpose and legacy,” Ambrose told the brand. “From these conversations, Jay then introduced me to Bjørn Gulden [Puma’s chief executive officer] and Adam Petrick [Puma’s global director of brand and marketing]. Adam and I talked about our visions and my impact on the culture at large, and it was from these interactions that I knew a collaboration with Puma would be beautiful and transcend far beyond product.”
Petrick also called Ambrose “an icon at the intersection between fashion, music, culture and purpose. Having the opportunity to bring an individual with such talent into the world of sports is unique, and we are excited to see how she can redefine what it means to create a sportswear collection.”
Of course, we’re not surprised at all.
Ambrose is also highly excited for the partnership and what this will bring to the dialogue around women, sports, and culture.
“I want my work with Puma to drive a dialogue around Title Nine and equality,” she said. “To have the opportunity to do this by launching a collection for an underserved division — for women’s basketball — is incredible. I want athletes and all women to feel fearless and inspired when they wear the pieces that I’ve designed. I want to create a space where young girls and women feel empowered on and off the court.”
She said her collection will also take on the gender equality issue. “Why can’t a guy wear our pieces?” she asked, pointing to the orange WNBA hoodies that are also worn by men. “With everything going on with gender neutrality, it’ll be fun to see where this goes.”
Congratulations to June Ambrose for continuing to push the barrier and setting the bar high!
