Leading international sports brand PUMA gets together with the godfather of toy figures, Michael Lau, again for the third time since their co-op in 2017 and 2018, followed by their successful creation of SAMPLE SUEDE by Michael Lau and SUEDE 50 series. Starting from this winter, we will see a large-scale and exciting collaboration like never before with diversified product categories. The concept of “SAMPLE” will run through sneakers, apparels and figurines.
Based in Hong Kong, Michael Lau achieved worldwide acclaim for his collectible designer toy figures. Throughout the years, he continually creates timeless art pieces and is crowned as the “godfather of toy figures”. It’s never Michael’s intention to merely produce commercial products when he accepts PUMA’s invitation to co-create. Rather, he is intrigued by the idea of exploring a concept , starting from scratch to finally creating a masterpiece. That exactly, is where the fun lies. “SAMPLE” documents the mental journey of the creator, and expresses the interaction between the artist and the product. In this inspirational collaboration, Michael Lau keeps on stressing the importance of “trial and error” in the creative process, which is a crucial element that injects fun and joy in each item.
”Please enjoy and make fun of the process of trial and error. It may surprise you !” Michael hopes to remind everyone that sometimes mistakes will bring joy. According to Michael Lau’s creative experience and understanding, an item, no matter if it’s a figure or apparel or sneakers, the most amusing design may be resulted from the designer or the factory technician’s unintentional mistake in the making. Facing these accidental miscalculations, most people will probably dump the prototype and revise immediately. However, Michael would gladly embrace the mistakes. He would observe the beauty of such “errors” from another angle, and weave these elements into his design. A visionary indeed, his artistic perceptions would be unveiled in the products of this PUMA x Michael Lau collection.
About the sneakers, the latest collection will continue to ride on the last two seasons’ theme of PUMA SUEDE, taking inspiration from sample sneakers. In this SUEDE VTG x Michael Lau collection, the zig-zag finishing of fabric samples are stitched on the shoes to create an asymmetrical industrial style that delivers an experimental feeling. Marked by the poppy red color, the sneakers are painted with a festive mood. Other design details include different shades and color of left and right shoe , which manifest his deliberate “mismatched colorway” concept that spells fun.
It must be to his fans’ delight that PUMA x Michael Lau collection is including apparels for the first time, with PUMA x Michael Lau Sample Track Jacket as the signature item. Dazzling at first sight, the design comes with intricate details. Characterised by street fashion’s patchwork design, the jacket’s carefree patchwork layering reveals order in chaos, reinterpreting the meaning of Patchwork, an traditional craft, in contemporary fashion culture. Notice PUMA x Michael Lau Graphic Crew & Hoodle is embroidered with words of “left right”,”Too Tight” and “ Too Small”. These are common words used by factory workers, which highlights the explorative nature of the Sample collection. It is amusing to discover Michael’s ingenious design of the Woven Pants which breaks the traditional Chino tailoring by knitting the socks into the trousers’ waistband linings, joining the two pieces together. What a novel fashion experience !
As the godfather of toy figures, WORTH CAT Figure will once again be in the limelight of this crossover project. Just like before, sample fabric is the main material in use. The eyes, nose, paws and tail design of each figure draws inspiration from PUMA CAT’s logo. This distinctively designed WORTH CAT, which comes in red, yellow, white and black color, will be launched on December 4. Inspired from metallic red, sparkling gold, pearly white and gleaming black color, these are highly collectible items.
Last but not least, to commemorate this special collection, PUMA has invited new generation singer-songwriter Leah Dou to be the ambassador of this collection, where she will showcase the perfect blend of artistic, sporty and street culture fashion style.
PUMA x Michael Lau SUEDE VTG collection is launch at J-01.
