SNS: Let's get started with a question that you have probably been asked several times before. How does one become Senior Marketing Advisor at Puma? Explain a little bit how this came about and what exactly is behind it.

Helmut: I have been with PUMA since 1978, so now for nearly 42 years. When I started the first advertising department after graduating from advertising school, I didn't think it would become the task of my life. I was born on December 21, 1949 here in Herzogenaurach and have always been closely involved in sports (football, athletics, ice hockey, skiing, etc.). Advertising manager, marketing manager, sports marketing for GAS have been my tasks in these decades and it never got boring for me, because even during bad periods for PUMA, I always enjoyed working for this wonderful brand. When I reached the age of retirement in 2013/14, I passed on my experiences, successes and defeats to the former executive board as a Senior Adviser for our young employees. Which was gladly accepted.

Your personal Puma archive is considered as one of the most outstanding out there, have you always had a passion for collecting or does it just come naturally when you are surrounded by great products for 40 years?

Yes, collecting PUMA shoes, garments, trophies etc. has always been a great passion of mine, because a lot of the things I own have made sports history. At PUMA nobody was interested in archiving these things until Björn Gulden came along in 2013. So I started a private collection and over the years I kept about 7500 pairs of shoes in the garage of my house. What was still a duty for the Dasslers to store successful but also innovative products was no longer up to date among the numerous new owners from 1989 and was destroyed or taken home by me. Soon I rented a small garage to keep everything in good condition.

We have read that your archive was pretty much created by yourself, even the archives books were financed by yours. Unimaginable from today's point of view, how did that happen? Did the views diverge as far as their own history goes or were rarities simply not considered as rarities?

Yes, as unlikely as it sounds, without my private passion for collecting there would be very few shoes from the past 70 years of company history. I' m proud of that, but also sad, because many things have been lost after all.

Are there any developments or movements that you would judge differently from other people because of your own work? Do you watch sports with a different eye? Are there athletes that you may not even follow because of their sponsorship?

Yes, if you have been active in sports marketing for so long, there have been and still are many things up to fraud, bribery, etc. which makes you automatically see the success of many of our competitors from a different perspective. For instance, I haven't watched an international match of the German soccer team for decades, because the fraud between the DFB and our competitor that has been going on for decades is neither sportsmanlike nor fair.

Let's stay on topic, how much has your personal style developed? Can you imagine it differently for each decade? More like Clyde Frazier vibe in the 70s, Beastie Boys in the 80s and later on stylish like YBN Cordae?

Of course, fashion shaped me over the decades too. Classic shoes like Basket, Clyde and Suede have defied all this and are still my favourite shoes today. Nevertheless I lately enjoy wearing our RS series. For me, it always has to be a PUMA shoe because PUMA is my life.

You've been working for Puma for over 40 years now, tell me about your favourite memories.

When you've been loyal to a company for so long, it's obviously the good times as well as the bad times that I think back to. But that's what makes PUMA so special: we haven't always been able to work on the bright side, but that' s what has resulted in more innovations than if you were or are always successful. One of the highlights has of course been the Boris Becker victories in Wimbledon in which I was very closely involved. I will never forget the "night wanderings" with Pele or Maradona.

When it comes to sneakers, do you stay true to the old styles and are you particularly excited when models like the Puma Fast Rider return or can you also identify with current styles?

It's always an adventure for me when old silhouettes like the Fast Rider get a come back on the market, because most of them have been rediscovered by young designers in "my" PUMA archive. As I said earlier, I really enjoy wearing the new RS series.

As a Swedish company we noticed that you have a shoe from 1958, that was signed by the Swedish national football team. How important is the past for Puma as a company but also in terms of the future of shoe design?

Yes, I still have 2 pieces of the 1st PUMA Formstrip soccer boot model "Weltmeister" from 1958. Both are signed by Brazilian and Swedish players and are one of the highlights in my collection. Rudolf Dassler had successfully equipped some players from both teams in the final and it was the only German company that was on the field with their shoes then. For me, the PUMA Archive is the soul of our brand. Learning from the old, making new is my and our motto. The success especially of our retro shoes from the archive proves us right.