FOOTBALL AND THE FUTURE

BIA Football Club is celebrating the return of the PUMA KING Indoor for LN-CC, highlighting football’s new, more inclusive era. Co-founders Sara Biatchinyi, 26, a graphic designer and Inter Milan fan, and Julia Piatkowska, 26, a campaigns and events manager and Arsenal supporter, are joined by their friends Nameya Jacobs and Lara Dixon. Roaming East London with tooth gems twinkling, they’re styled in upcycled vintage PUMA KING pieces and LN-CC picks. Photographer Finnegan Travers captures the group’s joy, connection, and the versatility of the PUMA KING Indoor, both on the playground and in-store. The shoot draws inspiration from the table football game Subbuteo, as well as iconic imagery from Margiela, Helmut Lang, and sportswear-meets-fashion aesthetics.

This project is an unexpected delight for Biatchinyi and Piatkowska, who first met nine years ago at school in Santiago, Chile, and later co-founded BIA while living in Amsterdam. With an estimated 3.5 billion football fans worldwide, 33% of UK football fans identifying as female, and the rapid rise of women’s football in recent years, the need for more inclusive and intersectional football communities is more evident than ever. The duo has spent the past 18 months channelling their frustration with the sport’s lingering exclusivity into playful graphics, packed-out match screenings, and a book club, all aimed at uniting fans and celebrating the art of football. With BIA Football Club members connected through a lively WhatsApp group chat that spreads across London, Paris, and Amsterdam, their unique football-powered community attracts those seeking fun, authentic connections and a welcoming third space off the pitch.

“PUMA KING trainers are a symbol of perseverance, and we think BIA represents defiance too,” Biatchinyi and Piatkowska say. “We’re not here to comply with the traditional way of enjoying football. We’re here to shake things up and make a difference. It’s in the name — BIA was the Greek goddess of force, power, and might.”

Biatchinyi and Piatkowska were curious to see how the PUMA KING Indoor, an archival premium sneaker in black and white leather with gold accents, would perform in 2024. Originally launched in 1968 as the football boot of choice for Portuguese legend Eusébio, the PUMA KING was later adapted for indoor games and street cages in 1999. It was embraced by progressive youth subcultures across Europe before being discontinued in 2015.

Notably, German fashion designer Jil Sander played a key role in shaping the pioneering blend of tradition and innovation that the PUMA KING Indoor represents. In the late 90s, her minimalist designs brought the sports shoe out of its typical context, setting the standard for future high-fashion and sports crossovers. This nostalgic reissue taps into today’s low-sole, big-tongue sneaker trends and is arguably the earliest example of a football boot successfully evolving into a classic lifestyle shoe.

The biggest motivation for anyone passionate about football, including BIA Football Club, to keep lacing up the new PUMA KING Indoor is the chance to follow in the technically supreme footsteps of GOAT footballers like Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff.