PUMA Archive
Designing
the Beautiful Game
Football exhibition at the Design Museum, London, with iconic PUMA loans
August 8, 2022Football exhibition at the Design Museum, London, with iconic PUMA loans
August 8, 2022It is the world’s most popular sport with a truly international dedicated fan base – football! Did you know? It is estimated that more than half the population of the planet watched the FIFA World Cup in 2018. In the build-up to the 2022 World Cup, the Design Museum in London presents the first major exhibition on the design of the beautiful game. It includes PUMA’s pioneering work as a central element in both the history and current developments in kit design. We are showcasing some of our early innovations such as the Atom and PUMA Super Atom (1996), as well as iconic boots such as the PUMA King (1970). Join us now for an insight into the processes that have made football what it is today.
The football exhibition “Designing the Beautiful Game” traces the rise of football to global phenomenon, and the design story behind it. It takes place until August 29 at the Design Museum, London and is an exploration of the impact of design and architecture on the development of the game, from stadia and graphic identities through to kits and media technologies. It is being produced in partnership with the UK’s National Football Museum and includes a wealth of both historic and contemporary exhibits. A real must-see for all football fans out there.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Design Museum opens with some impressive statistics about the subject. Around the world, 265 million people play football regularly and it is estimated that 3.5 billion people (over half the world’s population) watched the 2018 World Cup.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Visitors are able to immerse themselves in over 500 objects, films, stadium designs, kits and sporting moments that recount the legend of players such as PUMA icons Pelé and Diego Maradona. Five sections take visitors through the design story of football, from performance, identity, crowds, spectacle to play. The exhibition offers an insight into the people and processes that have made football what it is today. It is designed so that it takes about 90 minutes to see everything (Of course, the length of a football match).
FROM THE PUMA ARCHIVE
PUMA Super-ATOM
designed 1952, produced 1996
PUMA released the revolutionary Super-ATOM, thought to be the first boot with stew-in studs. Designed in collaboration with West Germany´s national coach, Josef Herberger, it was initially available only to players in the top division of Germany´s national league, the Bundesliga.
PUMA KING Pelé
1972
Launched in 1968, the PUMA KING was designed in honour of Mozambican-born Portuguese player Eusébio da Silva Ferreíra. A boot featuring a flexible sole and lightweight nylon screw studs. It has been in production for more than 50 years and has been worn by some of history´s greatest players, including Argentina´s Diego Maradona and the Netherlands´ Johan Cruyff. Brazilian legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, wore a bespoke version with a yellow ´formstrip´ for his fourth FIFA World Cup in 1970.
An eye-catcher and highlight is Cameroon’s green and red PUMA outfit from the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.
The show ends by returning to what football is at its core: a chance to play. Celebrating the freedom, creativity and imagination the game inspires, this final section explores the different ways people engage with football beyond the pitch, from collecting to gaming, fan ownership to community activism.
Football: Designing the Beautiful Game runs until 29 August 2022 at London’s Design Museum.
