What do you want to do when you hit 60?
Go skydiving? Travel around the world? Meet the president?
Perhaps in due time you’ll figure it out, but sports giant PUMA, certainly knew it, and acted anything but its age.
At its 60th birthday bash, PUMA turned Butter Factory into a sporting shrine, where trend-setting products previously worn by legendary athletes were again displayed under spotlights.
Former World No.1 tennis player Boris Becker, the first FIFA World Player of The Year Lothar Matthaus, Olympics and World Record Holder sprinter Usain Bolt, to name a few, are among the best known athletes whose PUMA apparel were showcased in the Iconic Gallery titled Past, Present and Future.
Sheryl Wong, General Manager and Gabriel Yap, Marketing Manager blowing out the candles.
To further illustrate PUMA’s outstanding achievements in sports and fashion, a fashion show, where 6 local designers were invited to interpret PUMA’s styles throughout the decades with the accompaniment of pumpin’ music, was presented.
First up came the collection from Keith Png, designer of the label Koops.
Set in the 1920s, the selection of apparel consists mainly of neutral colours such as brown, with textured jackets used in abundance. This UrbanWire reporter can’t be sure if the colours were intentionally chosen to depict the crisis present during the 20s -The Great Depression – but if they were, they sure were appropriate.
Bringing us to the 60s is Dolphine Chia.
Her inspiration being vastly different from Keith’s, she splashed bold, contrasting colours in the form of stripes, graphic tees and funky sunnies. With the layering trend very much still alive, Dolphine banked on the rage, throwing striped cardigans over graphic tees and striped knee-high socks.
After an intermission, where the party-goers were treated to a session of freestyle football, the fashion show time machine proceeded on to the 1970s.
Emitting a laidback chic aura, the models appeared in rollerskates, skimming the floor lazily.
This collection by Nicholas Wong of Nicholas was fairly similar to that of the 20s, with the exception of one thing: underneath all the neutral outerwear, UrbanWire spotted flashes of warm colours. The sudden acknowledgment of hues definitely added a pleasant element of surprise.
Remember the hottest movie of the 1980s, Flashdance?
Not only did the film push music videos in it to fame, it too sold professional dancewear as fashionable streetwear. Unveiling a collection clearly influenced by Flashdance, fashion stylist Steven Kong dressed his models in leotards paired with leggings, and walked them down the runway. The tight-fitting outfits only served to accentuate the toned physiques of the male models, while the females’ never-ending gams were played up by the short hemlines
URBAN’s Chief Stylist Jerome Awasthi chose to reproduce the 90s with an interesting mix of windbreakers and berms. If you don’t know what the latter are, they’re short for bermudas or casual knee-length trousers. What this UrbanWire reporter found cute though, were the coordinated pairs of sneakers every model had on.
After a rush through the past, Frederick Lee, one of Singapore’s most sought-after couturier took on the task of presenting PUMA’s present collections, touted to shake the fashion industry in the near future. This selection too, incorporated many of the current season’s trends – frills, animal prints, short hemlines and tights.
As the fashion show drew to a close, PUMA left its well-dressed attendees to their own devices, while spoiling them with a free flow of drinks and alcohol.
A memorable Iconic Gallery, a delectable fashion show bringing us through the ages, and a night of revelry.
Now you know what kind of party you can throw when you hit the big 6-0.