Good Sport

Puma has often flirted with high fashion, collaborating with Jil Sander, Neil Barrett and Alexander McQueen. But in February the sports giant committed to a more serious design relationship, naming Hussein Chalayan its first creative director. The designer, perhaps best known for making a skirt that doubled as a coffee table, will create everything from shoes to clothing. Puma, meanwhile, has invested in Chalayan’s namesake business. “My way of thinking is very appropriate for sports,” Chalayan said. “You are constantly building and developing products and technology.” His first Puma designs will launch in fall 2009. No word as to whether any of them will double as furniture.

Photo: Chris Moore