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Trophy Hunting, founded in 2019 by Kari Cruz, Dustin Canalin and Jason Gaines, revealed its first-ever collaboration, taking on some of Puma‘s prestigious models.
Cruz’s identity as a Dominican from the Bronx and Canalin’s Oakland roots can be found throughout their work, the ethos of Trophy Hunting and even in their new collaboration. The co-founders first worked together through storytelling and development at Adidas years ago. Now, the trophy hunters are celebrating through the all-new collection that touches on the brand’s coast-to-coast identities and championship mentality.
“This is a proud moment for the brand,” Canalin said. “This took about two years in the making, wearing masks the whole time and working through COVID-19. Finally having [the collection] out in the world is exciting.”
Behind the scenes, Trophy Hunting has been involved with a handful of moments in the sports and sneakers world. From aiding with the Fenty x Puma collection to creating a capsule celebrating Steph Curry’s 3-point record-breaking moment, Cruz and Canalin are now getting their own collaboration and telling their story.
Cruz, who has a background in TV production, fashion design development, & styling, and Canalin, who worked for And1 and Nike Basketball, are delivering a modern approach to prep with Puma.
The Trophy Hunting x Puma collection includes a range of apparel from a satin varsity jacket, a heavyweight mesh performance skirt, and three pieces of footwear such as t he Puma Clyde All-Pro, the Puma Slipstream, and the Puma Vulcanized Suede (a first-ever for the Puma Suede).
The collection is close to home for both but especially for Cruz as her school uniforms inspired the capsule’s preppy & plaid aesthetic. Additionally, her gold nameplate chain, a staple within Latina fashion, and golden earrings are translated onto the collection’s hardware with bamboo-shaped hoops the zipper-pulls of the full-zip reversible track jacket, and gold nameplates on the backs of outerwear and on the laces of footwear.
“I want a piece of me to be The jewelry is so personal not just to me but being a Latina, being Dominican, and growing up in the Bronx,” Cruz said. “This is what the women in the neighborhood have, this is what gets passed down to you, this is a mark of where you come from — adding that to the collection was natural.”
“It’s a stamp letting you know that you’re getting a piece of me and the culture in New York.”
The Trophy Hunting x Puma collection releases on November 9 via AlwaysTrophyHunting.com, Puma.com and the Puma NYC flagship store.
