PUMA Makes K-Pop Idols Purr
“I went a little bold with my outfit today, what do you think?” A smiling Yeji, wrapped in a blackish-green cyber bodysuit, has just stepped into a cavernous warehouse space in Seoul’s Seongsu district. And no, she’s not about to perform—indeed, her fellow members of K-pop girl group ITZY are nowhere to be seen—she’s just here to say hi. Hi, specifically, to PUMA, who are holding a special celebration.
Today, this Berghain-adjacent chamber in the heart of 'Seoul’s Brooklyn' is the site of a global party for the pair of wafer-thin, y2k-themed, and very luminous green sneakers that adorn Yeji’s feet: the new PUMA H-Street.
Yeji is one of the many stars who turned out for PUMA’s three-day activation held in honor of its new shoe, a sort of track and field-inspired successor to the motorsport-based (and wildly popular) Speedcat. Other stars who arrived rocking the new silhouette included BLACKPINK’s Rosé, Squid Game’s Yuri Jo, and THE BOYZ’s Juyeon. These are names recognisable even to those who couldn’t name a single K-pop hit.
Perhaps this insane line-up shouldn’t have been surprising: with Rosé as an ambassador and ongoing collaborations with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, as well as a special talent for tapping into underground scenes worldwide, it’s safe to say PUMA have captured their niche of sports style lovers in a way that few other brands have managed. And it’s showing no intention of slowing down.
Juyeon, a member of the aptly-named 11-piece K-pop boy band THE BOYZ, would agree. “This event has such a fresh and stylish atmosphere,” he notes. “It goes beyond just sneakers—it really feels like an immersive cultural experience.”
Cultural experience it certainly was—even PUMA’s extensive list of collaborators showed its understanding of the Korean scene it was a guest in. Tea and pastries were provided by the famous Café Onion, an it-spot on Seoul’s ever-buzzy coffee scene; COLD Archive curated an immersive pop-up experience; and Eyesmag provided a bespoke styling and photo studio. This is to name but a few of the creators involved: local artists and DJs comprised the backbone of the weekend’s programming.
At the centre of the activation was a rare collection of PUMA sneakers, curated by Inside Tag. Running from the ‘70s to 2007, these archival silhouettes—collected over years of combing through second-hand sites—gave an insight into the breadth of reference and inspiration behind the new shoe, including, crucially, the original H-Street from 2003.
Dropping on June 28, the release of this sneaker is set to be a real moment for PUMA, and for the sneaker landscape in general. Speaking on the brand's trajectory, the head of PUMA Select Greggor Abenstein is enthusiastic: “We have such an iconic archive, especially around that time in the early 2000s. [...] We started the low profile trend with the Mostro and Speedcat, and this is the next chapter.”
But a brand is only as good as its products make people feel. And who better to give PUMA the seal of approval than K-pop idol Yeji, as the brand touches down in Seoul? "Personally, I feel like PUMA is a brand that gives me confidence,” Yeji tells us. “It stays true to its heritage but also takes bold steps when it comes to style — and I really love that."
