Another big win for RiRi! Rihanna took home Shoe of the Year at the Footwear News Achievement Awards 2016 in New York City, earning recognition for the Fenty Puma by Rihanna Creepers.
The women’s creative director, 28, accepted the honor on Tuesday, November 29, wearing a Vetements x Juicy Couture “Securite” long-sleeved top, velvet maxi skirt, a printed baseball cap, diamond accessories and, of course, a pair of Creepers. Rihanna shined as bright as her jewels while accepting the honor, musing on her humble beginnings.
“This is such a big deal for me. It means so much. I’m so proud to be a woman, to be a young woman from Barbados. To come to America and just do this by default because I liked to wear a certain style of shoe,” Rihanna said during her acceptance speech. “I wanted [the Creepers] to be the first thing that people saw because it was what I was into at the time. I didn’t really expect people to love it the way I do and the way they supported it means so much to me. All the Creeper heads and all the kids in the street inspired me just by doing things their own way.”
And it looks like Puma is proud too. At the ceremony, Jay Piccola, the brand’s North American president, praised Rihanna with a nod to her musical background: “She’s certainly the umbrella over our entire women’s category.”
Other big winners of the night include John Varvatos, Paul Andrew and Zendaya, who, like Rihanna, reflected on her childhood during her speech.
“Me and my stylist said that the hardest thing was ballin’ on a budget,” she noted. “I had two teacher parents and so … yes, it’s hard. I wanted to look just as good as everyone else and I think that’s who I made these shoes for — those young people who have those dreams and have those thoughts and want to go far. I think that’s who I make it for, is little me.”
