PUMA’s Speedcat is not for those spending time in the slow lane. Originally designed with performance in mind, it now enters a new era with the debut of the Wedge—a fresh silhouette making its first-ever appearance—alongside the returning, fashion-forward Ballet. Positioned within the Lux Pack, this launch shifts the Speedcat into the wardrobes of those who treat speed as a state of mind—moving effortlessly between work, nightlife, and everything in between, chic all the while.
The Wedge and the Ballet feel like two different personalities cut from the same cloth. The Wedge is the newcomer, carrying a sly kind of height that doesn’t announce itself—the sort of lift you only notice when she’s already halfway across the room. It’s playful, confident, a little hedonistic. It works easily with sharp trousers, cropped denim, or a mini—adding quiet height without changing how you move.
The Ballet takes a sharper turn: pared back, clean-lined, quietly elegant. Not the soft, nostalgic ballet flat everyone else is doing—more of a disciplined, grown-up version with edges intact that can slip into everything from structured tailoring to simple dresses, giving outfits a cleaner, more intentional finish.
What makes both silhouettes compelling is how the original Speedcat still hums beneath them. The sleekness, the bite, the sense of motion—none of it’s lost. Instead, each silhouette translates that attitude into a different styling mood, offering options that feel elevated without feeling precious.This drop feels less like a reinvention and more like letting the Speedcat’s attitude find new shapes, new nights, new girls to live on.
We caught up with Michele Mirtschov, the Product Line Manager Sportstyle Footwear at PUMA responsible for the model’s designs to get a better understanding of how the concept came to life.
Firstly, can you just tell us a bit about the new silhouettes of the Speedcat and how they came into being?
The Speedcat has always been one of our most iconic PUMA styles and shapes, so when we started thinking about a holiday drop, we wanted to show what else it could become without losing its attitude. The idea was to evolve it in two directions: something more elevated and something more fashion-forward. That’s how the Speedcat Wedge and the Speedcat Ballet were born. Both take the original low-profile, race-inspired lines and push them into new spaces - one with a hidden wedge for subtle height and one with a more refined, elevated feel that leans into fashion rather than sport.
The Speedcat started as a motorsport icon. What inspired you to flip it into wedge and ballet silhouettes?
PUMA has a huge archive that goes far beyond sport, and wedges have actually been a big part of our story for years - from Trinomic Wedges to Cali and Mayze Wedges, and of course the Fenty by Rihanna heels and pieces really cemented us in that fashion-sports lane. So taking the Speedcat into this space felt natural. We already had the foundation, it was just about reimagining it for today. The ballet silhouette came from wanting to soften the Speedcat a bit - keep the DNA, but make it feel more elegant and ready for holiday dressing. It was about showing that the Speedcat can live beyond motorsport while still keeping its soul.
The Wedge in particular is a pretty crazy idea. Were there any naysayers at first?
Of course - any bold idea usually gets a few raised eyebrows. But once we looked back at our own archive, it actually made perfect sense. PUMA is one of the only sports brands with such a long history of wedges and heels, so we weren’t inventing something out of nowhere. Once people saw how natural it felt on the Speedcat upper, the hesitation disappeared.
In your words, who do you think we’ll see wearing these two new styles? Can you describe for us the characters that will be donning the Wedge and the Ballet?
The Speedcat Wedge is for someone who loves statement pieces but still appreciates subtlety. She wants height without the obvious platform - someone playful, confident and not afraid of mixing sport and fashion.
The Speedcat Ballet leans more into elegance and polish. I see it on people who love minimalism, who want something chic but comfortable, and who appreciate those small styling details - like replacing the elastic straps to make it feel less sporty and more ready for a night out.
Wedges are trending again—why do you think that is, and do you think they’re here to stay?
Wedges come back every few years because they solve something: they give height, comfort and personality at the same time. Right now, people want shoes that work for both day and night, and wedges fit perfectly into that mood. And with brands - like PUMA - bringing them back in modern, unexpected ways, I think they’re sticking around for a while.
As for the ballet, this is a trend that’s been going on for a while now. How do you think the Speedcat Ballet adds something unique to that conversation?
Most ballet shoes are soft and delicate. The Speedcat Ballet takes that idea but adds a bit more attitude. The buckle, the clean lines, the slightly structured shape - they give it a stronger personality. It’s still feminine, but it has that motorsport edge underneath, which is something only PUMA can bring to the ballet trend.
