FROW First Look: The Suede, Reborn by Ahluwalia for PUMA 🖤🔥
The Suede isn’t just a sneaker, it’s a story that’s been written across decades. It’s the breakdance battles of the Bronx. The skateparks of London. The terrace crowds outside football grounds in the 80s, where Suedes were laced up as uniform. The early grime scene, where you’d catch them under oversized denim and puffa jackets. It’s one of those shoes that shapeshifts with whoever wears it. Since ’68, it’s been part of culture without even asking permission.
Now Priya Ahluwalia’s stepped in and she hasn’t kept it polite. Her version comes in black and silver, with a midsole that shifts like metal under streetlights. The curves are sharper, the overlays mean business, and it looks like a Suede that’s learned a few new tricks. Recognisable, but not predictable. The kind of trainer that makes you look twice when someone walks past.
The campaign refuses to play fantasy. Instead it pulls focus onto real people and the small wins in their everyday grind, the silver linings that actually matter. And while most collabs would tick the box and cash the cheque, Priya’s pushed it further. She’s using this moment to bring others in, launching a mentorship scheme for the next wave of talent. Filmmakers, designers, storytellers aged 18 to 25. Young creatives who are usually left knocking on the door. She’s cracking it wide open.
Priya said it best, the Suede has already carried whole cultures. Her job was to respect that, while putting her own language on it. And that’s exactly what she’s done. There’s even a triple-white friends-and-family version if you’re close enough to the circle.
The PUMA x Ahluwalia Suede lands today (October 4), at select PUMA retailers and online.
