Rihanna's Sneaker Evolution: From Her Jordan Reign to PUMA Revolution

It’s no secret that Rihanna has built an empire throughout the last 20 years of her career, not only in the music scene, but also in the beauty and fashion industries. Musicians are bound to be highlighted for their style, but RiRi took it to another level, not only proving how much of a sneakerhead she is but also well and truly asserting her dominance in the fashion world.

We’re celebrating Rihanna's impressive style evolution by taking a look back at the sneakers she heroed over the years.

A Converse Girl Like Me

Just like everyone else in the early 2010s, RiRi hopped on the Converse Chuck Taylor trend. Digging into the artist’s archives, she’s seen sporting black Converse High-Top Chuck Taylor All Stars in 2013 paired with a white tank top, denim shorts, transparent jacket, and a camo bucket hat. That same year, she also featured the cream iteration of the silhouette at a barbeque party, and another year after that, she’s seen wearing the same silhouette with Eminem as they get ready for their performance of ‘Monster’ at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

Talk that Jordan Talk

To this day, RiRi still sports the occasional Jordans and Nikes, including the Union LA x Air Jordan 4 Retro ‘Guava Ice’, Cactus Plant Fleamarket x Nike Dunk Low crystal-embellished colab, AMBUSH x Nike Air Adjust Force, and Just Don x Nike Air Force 1 High. All of these coveted designs were seen on the entrepreneur while she was carrying her firstborn child. Of course, during special events, RiRi would whip out killer heels and gracefully walk the red carpet in her designer fits, but during the early days of her music career, the star still showed off her lineup of retros such as the Air Jordan 5 Retro ‘3Lab5’ and Air Jordan 5 Retro ‘Laney’. She even gave the Mids some love with her Air Jordan 1 Mid ‘Reverse Banned’. We can only image what kind of Jordan collection RiRi has kept in her closet.

Good Girl Gone adidas

While J’s were her thing back in the day, RiRi wore select adidas designs too. Jeremy Scott's adidas Originals JS 'Leopard' made their way to the star's feet in 2012 during a casual stroll in Santa Monica, California. In 2013, the star snapped a pic of herself on top of a lion statue seen in what looks like the Mastermind Japan x adidas Originals Gazelle OG. It seems like the collaborative pair was her go-to at the time, as she was also spotted in them in London paired with an Opening Ceremony x adidas Originals leopard jumpsuit. The following year, she was captured in an all-adidas fit featuring the chunky version of the Samba. Fast forward to 2022, RiRi was in New York City for separate occasions and walked the streets of the Big Apple in the Wales Bonner x adidas Samba ‘Cream White/Bold Green’ and original white and black Samba with neon green laces.

Unapologetically PUMA

Rihanna's influence in the fashion world was properly recognised in 2014 when she received the Fashion Icon Award at the CFDA Awards. That same year marked the beginning of her partnership with PUMA where she was given the title of Creative Director and Brand Ambassador. This collaboration allowed her to fuse her love for streetwear with high fashion, creating a line of sneakers and apparel that reflected her bold and unapologetic style. In 2015, Rihanna launched her first FENTY collection in collaboration with PUMA, spotlighting the classic Creeper. Since then, the duo have been producing an array of Creeper iterations, boots, and different variations of the Avanti. On top of that, the FENTY x PUMA runway shows became highly anticipated events during fashion week, showcasing RiRi's vision for modern streetwear.

Luxe on the Brain

This Bad Gal not only kills it on stage with her incredible vocals and dance moves but she also slays with performance looks. No one can forget her iconic medley of ‘Don’t Stop The Music,’ ‘Only Girl (In The World),’ ‘We Found Love’, and ‘Where Have You Been’ at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The artist opened her performance in a Hood by Air crew-neck tee by Shayne Olivier, deconstructed white pants and a corset belt. As for her footwear, Comme des Garçons made an appearance to complete her whole look.

After the 2018 Grammy Awards, RiRi took a break from music to focus on her brands, and most importantly, her first-born child. However, the 2023 Super Bowl marked the end of her hiatus when she performed at the halftime show pregnant with her second child with A$AP Rocky. During her stellar 13-minute performance, the musician donned an all-red Loewe jumpsuit and red leather Alaïa maxi coat complemented with the coveted MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross.