July, 24: Over the decades the PUMA Suede has moved through scenes, styles, and generations, constantly redefined by the people who wore it. Today, A$AP ROCKY brings his own perspective to the classic. Reviving an iconic design from the ‘90s with nods to New York street culture, the A$AP ROCKY x PUMA Suede ’94 reimagines heritage details through his lens.
As culture, fashion, and personal identity remain in a constant state of evolution, the PUMA Suede remains a constant. Familiar, grounded, and unmistakably itself. Woven into scenes and communities across generations, it stands as a symbol of effortless style and enduring relevance.
As PUMA’s Creative Director for over three years, A$AP Rocky has had the opportunity to decide which footwear styles appeal most to him and his culture. He wanted to lean on nostalgia and bring back a 90’s style.
In his version, design elements such as a raw-edge padded tongue, retro woven label, and slimmer tooling shape are complemented by bespoke touches including a gold PUMA lace keeper and custom shoebox. The most defining visual difference is the full retro PUMA logo on the quarter panel. No other iteration has ever done this, and it makes the ’94 instantly identifiable.
A$AP Rocky gravitated toward the ’94 Suede for good reason. It wasn’t just that it looked right. It was that the shoe was born from a moment that shaped him. 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 July 16th worldwide at PUMA.com, PUMA retail stores and select accounts. On Thursday, July 15th, A$AP Rocky will be hosting a pop-up shop at Joe’s Ginger in Chinatown, NYC from 4-8PM EST. Consumers can be the first to purchase the shoe before anyone else at this location only.