Over the decades, the PUMA Suede has moved through scenes, styles, and generations, constantly redefined by the people who wore it.
PUMA's first-ever lifestyle shoe was the Crack, launched in 1968 for the Olympics in Mexico City, where it was famously held aloft by track and field athlete Tommie Smith.
In 1973, Walt Frazier added his spin on the silhouette, creating the Clyde. Following Frazier’s era, the shoe became known as the Suede, named for its signature upper material.
With the rise of B-boy crews and hip-hop, the Suede was adopted into that growing scene. Finally, when it debuted in the UK during the 1980s, it arrived with the name States, as a nod to its popularity overseas.
Thanks to this unique history, the Suede has become an icon today. Familiar, grounded, and unmistakably itself, it has been woven into scenes and communities across generations and has stood as a symbol of effortless style and enduring relevance.
Today, A$AP ROCKY has brought his own perspective to the classic, reviving an iconic '90s design with nods to New York street culture reimagined through his lens.
As PUMA’s Creative Director for over three years, A$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 90’s style.
In his version, design elements such as a raw-edge padded tongue, a retro woven label, and a slimmer tooling shape have been complemented by bespoke touches, including a gold PUMA lace keeper and a custom shoebox.
The most defining visual difference has been the full retro PUMA logo on the quarter panel. No other iteration has ever done this, making the '94 instantly identifiable.
A$AP Rocky gravitated toward the '94 Suede as New York in 1994 sat at the apex of hip-hop's Golden Era, the birth of modern streetwear, and a gritty downtown skate scene all colliding at once. The '94 Suede didn't just exist alongside those movements. It was part of the outfit.
“I remember when my mom bought me my first pair of suedes. Growing up in New York and seeing Walt Clyde Frazier with his style and his PUMA suedes, they were the shoes,” said A$AP Rocky.
“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 will be available worldwide from the 16th of July.
