PUMA CO-CREATIVE, LOLA PLAKU,
RELEASES NOVA GRL PWR SNEAKER
SHOP THE PUMA NOVA GRL PWR COLLECTION HERE
NEW YORK, NY (January 18, 2019) – Music industry power player and Lola Media Group CEO, Lola Plaku, releases the exclusive PUMA Nova GRL PWR sneaker today. The pack is now available for purchase on PUMA.com and in select stores worldwide. Hypebae revealed an exclusive first look of the drop earlier this week. This is Plaku’s first sneaker release as part of PUMA’s Select Co-creative platform. “Lola is known for spearheading a mission to empower young women, and this partnership pays tribute to her efforts with a Nova sneaker pack aptly titled GRL PWR,” says Yassine Saidi, PUMA’s Senior Head of Select. “Lola inspires others to create change and push culture forward, making her the perfect co-creator of the new Nova.”
Designed by Plaku, the Nova GRL PWR shoe has a bold, 90’s inspired silhouette, rendered with a slim mesh upper with leather overlays and vibrant color blocking. Lola chose distinct color palettes for the sneaker, dropping in two colorways, Black–Surf the Web and Peach Bud–Pearl Blush. With GRL PWR branding on the heel tab, the look is finished with a lace closure system. A natural trendsetter, the GRL PWR woman embraces her feminine side while still valuing the comfort and street style swag that compliments her active lifestyle. Bambii Azan, Enisa, Lauren Ledford and Marz Lovejoy are featured in the campaign–directed by Lola Plaku, shot by photographers Jay Jackson (@younginwithacanon) and Lexis Rother (@ro.lexx), and styled by Bobby Bowen.
Lola shares, “This campaign is truly about building self esteem and creating a platform for self discovery, growth and empowerment. Girls and women should believe they can be anything they want to be.” Having forged her own path in the male-dominated music industry, Lola is passionate about paving the way for other women by fostering career development. The narrative behind the Nova GRL PWR shoe aligns with her GIRL CONNECTED mentorship program, which will pair aspiring female professionals with her industry colleagues to learn the various aspects of the music business (A&R, creative, marketing, etc.) Last year, Plaku hosted GIRL CONNECTED events in London, Atlanta and Toronto in partnership with WeWork and also hosted two events at the NYU Clive Davis Institute in New York City. The full GIRL CONNECTED program will launch later this year. In March, Plaku will release her second PUMA Nova iteration and will also be a featured speaker at the annual SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas.
PUMA
PUMA is one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For 70 years, PUMA has relentlessly pushed sport and culture forward by creating fast products for the world’s fastest athletes. PUMA offers performance and sport-inspired lifestyle products in categories such as Football, Running and Training, Basketball, Golf and Motorsports. They collaborate with renowned designers and brands to bring sport influences into street culture and fashion. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and Dobotex. The company distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 13,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany.
LOLA PLAKU
With more than ten years of experience working behind the scenes in the music industry, Lola Plaku’s resume is both extensive and multifaceted; last year, Billboard named her one of the hip-hop industry’s rising stars to watch. Formerly a music journalist for Canada’s hip-hop music scene, the Toronto native made a name for herself after launching her blog, iLuvLola. This led her to a role in promotions at Maxamus Entertainment followed by an online marketing position at CP Records. Plaku was passionate about breaking U.S. talent in the Toronto market and eventually branched out into concert production, working with The Weeknd, Travis Scott, French Montana, Kehlani, Big Sean and A$AP Rocky, among others. Lola currently runs Lola Media Group, which specializes in artist marketing and brand development. LMG’s client roster includes French Montana, Belly and Nav, among others.
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