'A perfect blend' - Cedella Marley teams up with PUMA to design Jamaica clothing for London Olympics

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

There is no doubt which set of athletes will sport the hottest set of gear at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, as Jamaica's long-time kit sponsor PUMA and firebrand designer, Cedella Marley, have teamed up to outfit the Jamaican team for the upcoming spectacle.

Marley, who burst on to the scene as a designer in 2001 with her chic-casual 'Catch A Fire' line, will design the podium, performance, ceremony and casual wear for the entire Jamaican team in London; and will also create a lifestyle line for PUMA.

One of the largest sports goods manufacturers out of Germany, PUMA, and the Marley clan, are both synonymous with the Jamaican landscape - PUMA for its sporting marriage with the island and the latter, of course, for the global appeal of family patriarch Bob Marley.

So there was little surprise when Marley, an accomplished singer, songwriter and designer, was contacted to create the designs.

The former Melody Maker, who yesterday spoke to The Gleaner about the new partnership, was ecstatic about the new opportunity and described it as a perfect fit.

"I think it's a perfect blend, it's a good fit," said Marley, in a telephone interview from England yesterday.

MUSIC, FASHION, SPORTS COMBINED

"We represent the perfect blend of music, fashion and sports, which is Jamaica, and it's definitely something that PUMA embraces in their own designs."

"Partnering with Cedella and the Marley family is a perfect fit for our brand," said Antonio Bertone, chief marketing officer for PUMA. "She embodies the fun, laid-back nature of Jamaica and will bring an authenticity to the collection for the entire world to see in London 2012."

Marley, who did quite a bit of track herself while attending Vaz Preparatory back in the day, admitted to being surprised by the opportunity, which came about after a short and frank telephone discussion with herself and PUMA CEO Jochen Zeitz.

"The two of us were on the phone talking and I said 'Yow, Mr PUMA, how come PUMA and the Marleys haven't done anything?'

"He just kinda said everything will happen in time and two weeks later I got the phone call, and here we are now," said Marley.

"It is truly an honour to design this collection for my home country and my home team," said Marley. "It's not even a dream come true because it's something I never dreamed would be possible.

"I ran track in Jamaica and I'm still a huge fan of Jamaican athletics, so to have a role in creating the outfits for our Olympians is unbelievable."

She added: "I admire what PUMA has been doing in Jamaica over the years and the Marley family has the same type of give-back philosophy. I think this partnership is going to be legendary."

As it relates to what should be expected from the designs, Cedella speaks of warm colours, musical and cultural inspiration, '70s-'80s influence and, of course, a touch of Africa, all with the backing of PUMA's high-performance standards.

VIBRANT, SPICY DESIGNS

"It's going to be vibrant, it's going to be spicy. I want to bring in prints, some African influence into it as well, maybe a bracelet; the idea is to get a complete look from head to toe," Marley beamed.

"I'm done with my sketches, I'm getting ready to take a trip to New York to visit PUMA and work with their team to select the fabrics and material. That is something that is new to me and so I'm looking forward to that. These are the things that I have to consider when I'm designing performance gear, 'breathe-ability', so to speak and so forth.

"We are going to spend a lot of time to ensure that it feels good and looks good. Our team should feel comfortable in it and I want them to feel like they are in their own skin, it should be that comfortable," Marley continued.

On Sunday, the world will recognise the 66th anniversary of Bob Marley's birth and Cedella, his eldest daughter, believes her father would be extremely proud of the developments.

"I know Daddy is proud. He is proud of all of us. He is proud of Usain Bolt and everyone striving to stay on top and do the right thing," said Marley.

"I can't think of a better person to design our Olympic outfits than Cedella," Bolt said in a statement. "Puma got that right ... hooking up with a legendary Jamaican. It's going to be inspirational to run in London with that energy surrounding me."

PUMA's Olympic wear will be accompanied by a complete lifestyle collection of apparel, which will be available at PUMA retail stores globally. A small capsule collection will be available with limited distribution in August 2011, in time for the IAAF 2011 World Championships in Korea.