Kyle Kuzma Has Childhood Dreams That PUMA Is Helping Become Reality

Kyle Kuzma has made an impression on the courts of the National Basketball Association as well as the tunnels where players sport their latest threads. Kuzma has used the latter as an opportunity to make an impression on the fashion industry with the same flare on the court, gracing the PUMA runway during New York Fashion Week this past September.

For many athletes, the connection to fashion is born at a young age. Many aspiring athletes look to professional athletes for their sneaker selection and music entertainers as style icons in all the finest labels. The Flint, Michigan native Kyle Kuzma has channeled this youthful energy into his brand Childhood Dreams, recently launching a collaborative capsule collection with PUMA.

Kuzma relates his brand to the idea that this is “what really made me name the brand ‘Childhood Dreams.’ As a young kid, this is all I ever wanted to be – a basketball player – my priority all my life. And 20-something-odd years later, I’m doing that.”

Childhood Dreams was actualized in 2020, fusing the elements of youthfulness and color-blocking design into functional pieces to fit wardrobes. The capsule features coastal scene prints, a three-toned bucket hat, TRC Blaze sneakers, and a Ralph Sampson Mule in the classic PUMA suede and fat laces.

The brand also focuses on sustainability, going through many different materials to achieve circular production. Utilizing cotton, polyester, leather, down feathers, and cardboard materials from certified sources have increased the percentage of recycled materials throughout its product range in the practice of sustainability.

Fashion and styling for Kuzma have come into the forefront of his off-court life, giving fans iconic fashion moments when entering arenas in the ubiquitous tunnel looks. The tunnel has been the fashion runway for professional athletes. Kuzma uses this moment to sport his ‘looks’ that have awed fans, including catching the attention of PUMA.

Kuzma equates his two passions stating, “for me, to be educated, and to learn and express myself [through] fashion industry, within the fashion space has made me realize more about my sport, and how basketball is art too.” Collaboration has perpetuated the streetwear market with athletes and entertainers like Kuzma delivering projects like the PUMA x Childhood Dreams capsule.

For the PUMA runway NYFW show this fall, creative director and iconic image maker June Ambrose dressed Kuzma in the finale piece for the PUMA ‘Futrograde’ show, an oversized shiny puffer coat worn in kilt fashion, dragging across the runway in a ceremonious outro. Kuzma also had on a hooded sweatshirt under a mesh jersey.

“When I’m wearing clothes, I’m expressing myself in a certain way for that day. I’ve always liked to look good and dressed up, believing that your first impression, that’s the best impression,” he mentions.

Kuzma, who is still in his 20s, has room to grow in fashion. Like many others, Kuzma relives his childhood through his creations as an adult. Recalling his shopping experience as a fashion-forward athlete expresses discernment for his more modest upbringing. He remembers, “when I was younger, my grandmother would get us ready for church on Sundays. We’d always have to dress up for sure. Put on something nice; a collared shirt, [something] presentable.”

“For the first day of school, my mom would take us shopping, and we would only get three to five new outfits a year. I would go to the South Pole or Phat Farm [sections]. I was young and probably shouldn’t have known about those types of things, but I did,” he reflects.

Kuzma has already wowed fashionistas everywhere with his oversized Raf Simons sweated in bright pink, creating that influential viral moment. He has also attended fashion shows for brands like Marni, Fendi, LaQuan Smith, Who Decides War, and the Vogue 130th-anniversary show. “My style goes a bunch of different ways. I have things that I wear daily. I dress like an athlete a lot, but when I’m in the tunnel, I like to be very versatile,” an enthusiastic Kuzma explains.

He continues, “I’m big into storytelling – I love reading books, listening to stories, and telling stories. I think to express myself in the entrepreneurial space.” PUMA Hoops and the Washington Wizards forward and entrepreneur have co-created a collection that combines the nostalgic ‘90s aesthetic of color blocking and cargo pants with modern materials for sustainability.

The t-shirts, shorts, bucket hats, cargo pants, and varsity jackets use plastic-free RE:Place fabrics, or at least 20% recycled materials, and utilize alternative dye practices. PUMA is also be donating $10,000 to the One Tree Planted organization. Through the partnership, Puma will donate 10,000 trees to a project in Kyle Kuzma’s hometown and state of Flint, Michigan, synonymous with his childhood and a place that reinvigorates his dreams.