Fashion worships the visual. But have you ever taken a moment to feel, hear, smell the world around you? Not just scroll past a never-ending feed of images and visual cues, but run your hand down a piece of fabric, or close your eyes and take in the way clothing feels on your skin. A little meditative, we know—but it's a worthy exercise. As our vision becomes blurred with an oversaturation of images, focus and clarity returns through other faculties.
This is the mindset in which the PUMA Suede pounces into action. A shoe which shocked consumers and sneakerheads alike with its materiality upon its release in the late '60s is still just as tactile today—the nap of the suede itself, the weight of the Formstrip, the specific give underfoot. It’s always been a shoe you feel before you see.
It's also been loud. From its conception, the Suede took a hold of music culture. When hip-hop was born in the Bronx in the early '70s, the Suede was already on the streets — and once breakdancing exploded, its flexible suede upper and grippy rubber sole made it essential kit for crews like Rock Steady and the New York City Breakers, who carried the shoe onto stages and into 1984's Beat Street. It's been danced in and sweated through ever since.
During the visual chaos of New York Fashion Week, Highsnobiety honored the Suede’s sensory credentials with an event that pleased all five faculties. By taking over and completely redesigning the entire space at Silence Please, a listening room and tea house that's total heaven for both audiophiles and design nerds alike, we created Suede for the Senses: a moment away from the chaos to engage deeply and intentionally with an evening of fully-formed, sustained attention in an era of attention divided. See what it did for the five senses below.
SOUND
Perhaps the most exciting part of the event was a curated listening session headed up by British songwriter and rapper KWN. With tracks by Mustafa and an emotive voiceover from KWN herself, this marked a turn from the Suede's hip-hop past and towards something more introspective. With the two sitting at ground level and backed by an enormous vintage stereo system, this was a truly intimate affair.
SIGHT
Since we completely reimagined Silent Please's minimal interior in lush suede and muted earth tones, Suede for the Senses was able to trim back the visual oversaturation emblematic of the media age. A light haze drifted over minimal, warm-toned furniture, lit to evoke an eternal golden hour. Lighting pulsed gently in response to the music, while projections of shifting shadows and foliage played across the drapes.
SMELL
Three custom scents, created in collaboration with Olfactory, filled the space: suede afterglow in the main room, slow burn in the vinyl shop, and soft ritual in the restroom. Each guest took home a sample of the three scents.
TOUCH
Suede and suede-like textures ran through the space—seating, cushions, menus, and curtains—keeping the shoe's signature softness within reach all night. Unexpected ASMR-like textures sat in contrast, quietly redirecting focus back to the suede.
TASTE
Bites provided by Joon Eats leaned into unexpected pairings. Bulgarian feta with Thomcord grape, peach fuzz scallop crudo, a rose-dusted PUMA logo marshmallow—all inspired by the soothing, enticing texture of suede. Drinks followed suit, from a golden cocktail with a branded ice cube to a Gulp Hablo wine and peach-honey kombucha.
