PUMA announced they are still planning to drop their collaboration with the late Nipsey Hussle.
The news was confirmed by PUMA Brand and Marketing Global Director Adam Petrick this week during The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival in NYC. He said PUMA will continue to release products that the late rapper was associated with.
“We had a lot of things that were coming, and hopefully a lot of things we will still do with his estate,” Petrick said during a conversation with G-Eazy another of the company’s brand ambassadors.
“We’ll work with his family and we’ll support his kids…We’re going to continue to release some product that we’ve created with him. We’ve also got some charity activations that we’ll do to support what he was doing in Crenshaw, and trying to continue the work that he was doing through his foundation.”
Hussle, whose given name was Ermias Asghedom, was gunned down earlier this year outside his Marathon clothing store in his home city of Los Angeles. PUMA, who had been working with Hussle for the last year, shared its condolences soon after news of his killing was announced.
“We’re extremely saddened by the passing of Nipsey Hussle. Beyond being a part of the Puma family, Nipsey was a talented musician, father, entrepreneur, community leader and inspiration to us all,” the athletic company told Footwear News. “The various programs he founded and led in his neighborhood of Crenshaw will have a lasting impact on generations to come. He will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.”
Weeks before his death, Nipsey Hussle shared a video on his Instagram account, stating that a co-branded collection between Puma and his apparel brand, The Marathon Clothing, was ready and would hit stores this fall.
“Proud 2 Announce My 2019 Endorsement and Co-Branded collaboration w @puma & TheMarathonClothing is Fully Executed. 1st Collection Coming Fall 2019,” the rapper captioned a video celebrating the announcement.
“He was somebody that was doing great stuff, and he had this idea about how he could improve the community and how he could push for that,” Petrick said about the brand’s choice to work with the Hussle. “The concept of working with Nipsey just made sense.”