Why Dua Lipa and Billy Walsh Will Receive FN’s First Collection of the Year Award for Puma Flutur Drop 2
On Nov. 30, Dua Lipa and Billy Walsh will be honored with the Collection of the Year award at the 36th annual FN Achievement Awards. Below is an article from the magazine’s Nov. 28 print issue about what defined the duo’s creative collaboration.
Dua Lipa is the epitome of what the present-day pop star should look like. She’s effortlessly cool, hardworking (she’s just wrapped her nearly year-long world tour) and, best of all, inclusive. Lipa has been an outspoken LGBTQ ally and is vocal about human rights issues, including gender equality.
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She’s the dream partner for a brand. So it’s no wonder Puma signed the “Future Nostalgia” singer to be the face of the company’s women’s business in a multiyear deal.
“We were drawn towards her creativity, passion and drive and the way in which she resonates with the young female consumer,” said Adam Petrick, Puma’s global director of brand and marketing at the time of the announcement in November 2020. “But most importantly, we were moved by her authentic passion to close the gender gap and look forward to supporting her through several brand initiatives we have planned together. We think she embodies what today’s consumer is looking for in a role model.”
Since 2020, Lipa and Puma have since worked together to help inspire women around the world through global campaigns and her own collections — most notably, the Puma x Dua Lipa Flutur Drop 2 line, which launched in July.
Lipa and longtime Puma collaborator, designer and songwriter Billy Walsh worked closely together on the line that’s been named FN’s first Collection of the Year.
This second installation of the ongoing Flutur product collaboration with Puma was inspired by Lipa’s Albanian heritage (“flutur” is the Albanian word for “butterfly”). Dua Lipa’s butterfly graphic shares placement with Puma’s fast cat insignia in much of the collection.
“The butterfly represents transition, metamorphosis and new beginnings,” Lipa said after the line launched in July 2022. “I felt like in the beginning, when I first started working on drop one, the butterfly already had a lot of meaning for me. [With Drop 2], that meaning has just solidified itself and become even more important in my life. It feels like everything progressed and manifested itself in that way.”
Flutur Drop 2 includes vibrant colors and form-fitting looks inspired by oldschool rave culture. It also spans over 30 items in inclusive, unisex sizing. Standouts are the flared T7 tracksuit and the unique Cell Dome King sneaker.
“I’m super obsessed that we got to make a metallic silver shoe. It’s actually two shoes put together: The King and Cell. The King is such an iconic Puma shoe. I love that kind of nostalgia,” she said of the style.
The line also features three variations of the Mayze silhouette, including the Mayze, Mayze Boot and Mayze Metallic. Meanwhile, hues of pink, purple and orange define the collection’s color palette that includes holographic details and retro silhouettes shown through striped jerseys, plus more throwback sportswear silhouettes.
For 36 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2022 event is supported by presenting sponsor Nordstrom, as well as Caleres, FDRA, Merrell, Vibram and Volumental.
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