Over the decades, the PUMA Suede has moved through scenes, styles, and generations, constantly redefined by the people who wore it. Today, A$AP ROCKY brings his own perspective to the classic.
Reviving an iconic ’90s design with nods to New York street culture, the A$AP ROCKY x PUMA Suede ’94 reimagines heritage details through his lens.
As PUMA’s Creative Director for over three years, A$AP Rocky has had the opportunity to decide which footwear styles appeal most to him and his culture. He wanted to lean on nostalgia and bring back a 90s style. He gravitated toward the ’94 Suede for good reason. It wasn’t just that it looked right. The shoe was born from a moment that shaped it. New York in 1994 sat at the apex of hip-hop’s Golden Era, the birth of modern streetwear, and a gritty downtown skate scene, all colliding at once. The ’94 Suede didn’t just exist alongside those movements. It was part of the outfit.
“I remember when my mom bought me my first pair of suedes,” said A$AP Rocky. “Growing up in New York and seeing Walt Clyde Frazier with his style and his PUMA suedes, they were the shoes. And now to be able to tap into that 90s nostalgia and bring them back with my own creative lens and special details, it’s great. PUMA hasn’t brought the ’94 back since it dropped and reviving it stitch-for-stitch from the archive just felt right.”
The A$AP Rocky x PUMA Suede ’94 is available on 16 July at PUMA.com, PUMA retail stores and Shelflife. Price R2599.
