Fashion’s Hottest Sneaker Raced Its Way To the Top
Watch out, adidas: PUMA is coming for your crown. According to new data, PUMA's Speedcat OG has unseated adidas' SL72 as fashion's hottest sneaker.
The revelation comes courtesy of LYST's latest quarterly index, which ranks the industry's most popular brands and items. According to the new report, the PUMA Speedcat OG — in red, specifically — is the third-hottest product of Q3 2024, and the only sneaker that made the cut.
Born circa 1984, the Speedcat got its start as a professional racing shoe. In the '80s and '90s, Formula 1 drivers, including the legendary Michael Schumacher, wore the slim-soled style on the job. In 1999, PUMA released the model to the wider public, cementing it as one of the brand's most iconic sneakers.
Its popularity has ebbed and flowed over the years but in July, PUMA relaunched the classic model, bringing the Speedcat back into our collective consciousness. Since then, the likes of Dua Lipa, Emily Ratajkowski, and Troye Sivan have been spotted in the sleek sneaks.
Per LYST, searches for the Speedcat spiked a whopping 523 percent in August, confirming what we predicted over the summer: Our taste for ultra-flat sneakers is here to stay.
While PUMA has long been un-toppleable force in footwear, the brand has enjoyed renewed relevancy over the past year, in part thanks to its partnership with A$AP Rocky and Formula 1.
If you're not in the market for a new pair of sneakers, other coveted items for Q3 include Alaïa's mesh ballet flats, Coach's Brooklyn bag (a favorite of Bella Hadid's), and Toteme's Country jacket, an luxurious take on the rugged barn jacket.
Four new brands — Toteme, Ralph Lauren, Victoria Beckham, and Chloé —also managed to break into LYST's ranking of the 20 hottest fashion labels, typically a merry-go-round of mainstays like Balenciaga, Prada, and Gucci.
To riff on Heidi Klum's famous Project Runway catchphrase: One quarter you're in, the next you're out.
