Balenciaga Strips Down Puma’s Speedcat Sneakers in New Collab
Stephen Garner
Senior Editor
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Balenciaga unveiled a new collaboration with German sportswear brand Puma at its winter 2025 show on Sunday during Paris Fashion Week.
According to the luxury label, its latest tie up “pays homage to Puma’s performance heritage while furthering Balenciaga’s exploration of sportswear and performance-inspired design.”
As for the collaboration’s footwear, Balenciaga took on Puma’s Speedcat sneaker. Originally launched in 1999 with a distinctive flat sole designed for responsive pedal feedback, Balenciaga’s take on the Speedcat is reimagined in worn-out suede.
Stripping away the upper’s structural elements to create a pliable sock-like feel, the new Balenciaga x Puma Speedcat Ultrasoft sneaker is finished with a cut off Formstrip, a reinvention of a motif first introduced in 1958.
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The collection’s corresponding apparel includes technical sweatsuits crafted in extra-dry molleton fabric featuring the Balenciaga lion crest emblem, a nod to genuine soccer warmup suits. There are also tracksuits in crisp and faded nylons that incorporate archival Puma detailing from the ‘90s, while other styles recontextualize the brand’s iconography across new categories, including a shearling “tracksuit” jacket and a trompe-l’œil suede bathrobe coat lined with brushed reverse molleton fabric.
There is also a co-branded shopper bag made of crushed Dyneema —a lightweight textile with a tensile strength comparable to Kevlar, commonly used in kitesurfing, sailing, paragliding, and ballistic safety equipment. This bag joins a range of accessories, including nylon and cotton drill caps and liner gloves.
Balenciaga noted that an extended range of collaborative styles will be unveiled in late 2025.
Other footwear highlights in Balenciaga’s winter 2025 collection include the Excavator Riding boots and chaps combine waders with equestrian footwear. Plus, archetypal “formal” footwear is distorted in Monsieur derbies, booties, and monkstraps, alongside Portofino Mocassins and a Hyperflat Rim Derby.
Balenciaga’s new collaboration with Puma follows other recent tie ups with sportswear brands including Under Armour, Adidas and even Crocs.
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