The OG Avanti shoe goes back to 1968 when the original design, the Puma King football boot, was created and eventually popularized by soccer superstars like Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Eusébio. In 1998, luxury designer Jil Sander worked on Puma’s first-ever fashion collaboration and unveiled the Jil Sander King, which fused the aesthetics of the football boot and the heritage Easy Rider jogging shoe. The Avanti then debuted in 2001 as the next iteration of the footwear style.