The Catalyst

He is forever pushing Puma into new territory. From a driving shoe cocreated with BMW's Mini to the Mostro--a Velcroed form-fitting sneaker with a completely new silhouette and closure system that continues to be one of Puma's most-popular products seven years after its introduction. And in 2002, Bertone, now global director of brand management in Boston, went so far as to buy 600 pounds of vintage clothing and have them reconstructed into a limited-edition line called Thrift. Several iterations later, the idea has evolved into Puma's latest venture, Mongolian Shoe BBQ, its playful online version of sneaker customization that debuted several months ago. "I always describe working for Puma as, 'They give you all the rope in the world to hang yourself with,'" chuckles Bertone. "Your job? Don't hang yourself."

Now Zeitz is playing outside the footwear category altogether. In 2006, Puma introduced 24 Hour Tubism, an aluminum-cased wardrobe system for business travelers. The previous year, it rolled out an urban bike design, done in collaboration with Biomega, a Danish bike company, and Vexed Generation, a London design team. The crew had decided the bike would only be worth doing if they could create something that had never been built--and then they developed the first "unstealable" bike (the lock is actually part of its frame, and the entire structure is compromised if it's broken). Puma says the foldable bike has been one of its hot sellers, and New York's MoMA featured it in its 2005 "Safe" exhibit. "I've seen many of those brand collaborations where basically the only point is sticking on a Gucci sticker," says Jens Martin Skibsted, Biomega's founder. "That degrades good brands." But Puma, he adds, "is helping to shape who I am as a designer."

Just because Zeitz invented the category doesn't mean he's guaranteed his current place at the top of it. In recent years, Converse has teamed up with John Varvatos, Vans with Marc Jacobs, and Adidas just extended its deal with Stella McCartney through 2010. And while Nike is relatively late to the "low performance" game, it got a good reception for its customizable Nike iD line. "First in is not always the last out," cautions Marshal Cohen, chief fashion footwear analyst at NPD Group. "Competing with Kenneth Cole is one thing. Competing with Nike is another." But competing with both doesn't sound like a bad place to be.

Danielle Sacks (dsacks@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company staff writer.