June Ambrose on Hip-Hop, High Fashion, and Her New Puma Partnership

June Ambrose’s impact on fashion is undeniable: the dominance of streetwear, the influx of hip-hop performers in high fashion campaigns, and sneaker culture can all be traced back to the template that Ambrose created in the 1990s. As the stylist for high profile artists like Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and Diddy, she connected music with the world of European luxury, dressing her clients in looks that remain iconic to this day. Missy floating through the “The Rain” video in a glossy patent leather, Diddy walking through a halo of lights in his shiny suit in “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” and Jay-Z’s and his dapper nightclub suiting in “Excuse Me, Miss”—the list goes on. The imagery would change the relationship between fashion’s old guard and rap’s power players, and go on to influence a generation of designers who grew up immersed in MTV. 

Twenty-five years on and Ambrose remains powerful, her reach having expanded into films (she created look of Hype William’s now classic 1998 crime drama, Belly) TV hosting, writing, and now design. This morning, Puma announced Ambrose’s role as their new creative director, putting her at the helm of one of the world’s biggest brands. Set to advise and design across multiple categories, she’s eager to visually and philosophically take Puma into new territory. “This was definitely on my bucket list,” she shared on the phone. “To be in a position where I’m part of the development and in those meetings where we decide what we should be representing and how we can truly grow.”

Collaborations between brands and stylists are becoming more prevalent, but the idea that a stylist could helm a collection is still relatively new. As Ambrose describes, in the early ’90s, the distinctions between fields were incredibly rigid. “Everyone was so segregated. Costume designers did films, stylists did editorial or advertising,” says Ambrose. “I bridged both and [thought] how we can change the narrative to create these editorial and cinematic experiences within a short form genre.” Her tenacity was about necessity as much as creativity. Long before Cardi B starred in Balenciaga ads and A$AP Rocky became the face of Dior, brands were reluctant to align themselves with hip-hop and its stars. “Fashion houses and designers didn’t even consider it as marketing or an opportunity,” says Ambrose. “I remember knocking on many doors, initially, looking to collaborate, or just looking just to borrow a sample and them just not being interested because their focus was the runway.” Instead of waiting for access, she set out to define her visual identity looking past the usual suspects and finding various outside influences. “I said, ‘Okay, I don’t need to ask for permission and creative license to take control of a situation'” she remembers. “At the time, there were so many references untapped, and there were no rules. I looked Japanese animation, royalty in the 1900s, classic film, biblical references—I’ve been able to use all of these when designing and creating the world’s we were developing [for music videos].”