PUMA Made Fashion Week Fun Again
Anyone who’s tuned into the fashionverse — or anyone full stop, for that matter, will know that fashion week is a content powerhouse. Twice a year, the merry-go-round is set in motion: Milan, Paris, London, New York… the stars are wheeled out, faces beat, fits perfected, and Instagram is suddenly awash with street style, pap snaps, and hot (or not-so-hot) show takeaways. Lost in all the noise, it’s easy to feel left out: no, you can’t afford that suit, and no, you’re not as conventionally gorgeous as that model on the runway. Sorry.
Last week, though, at PFW Menswear, PUMA offered something a little different. The brand’s largest-ever activation at a fashion week might still have been a much-coveted event, but the energy was more hands-on, the styles more attainable, and with three out of four days open to the public, it was altogether less exclusive. A sneaker workshop with HAGEL allowed guests to customize their own PUMA Mostros, and a beautifully curated archive showroom made for an equally serviceable area to hang out, drink, and snap pics. Across the weekend, the space was also taken over by Cold Archive and Uniform Display, bringing an enormously diverse community together in the French capital.
Guests came and went throughout the day, and, come evening, pairs of custom Mostros could be spotted heading down the runway at Louis Gabriel Nouchi’s show. There was even an afterparty hosted by Slam Jam (featuring a multi-storey abandoned basement, trance prodigy Evian Christ, and a literally blinding wall of strobes).
The biggest star of them all, however, was the PUMA Mostro itself. The sportstyle king’s most deformed creation looks as mental today as it did on its original release back in 1999. But in those 25 odd years that have passed, much has changed in the worlds of fashion and footwear. While the late ‘90s might have seen it confined to the realms of ‘casual’ attire, a general acceptance of streetwear into more polished forms of dressing has cemented the Mostro’s reputation as a truly affordable symbol of avant-garde style.
Need proof? Look to its collaborators: A$AP Rocky released his own experimental, 3D-printed Mostro; Ottolinger put its own spin on the silhouette early last year; now they’re cropping up on runways in Paris.
With quite a reputation preceding it, we thought we’d put the Mostro to the test in a real fashion week context. What do the stars think of it? On the feet of Alexander Roth, Koffi W, and Dolly — respectively, creative directors, stylists, and models — the Mostro looks right at home. As they took the silhouette to Paris’ streets, we caught up with the three of them about their favorite PUMAs, their tips for fashion week, and their rituals when keeping things a little more… down to earth.
ALEXANDER
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Alexander Roth, 29, from New York. I’m a creative director, stylist, and content creator.
What do you like to do between PFW shows?
Go completely non-verbal. Usually I like to be solo; I think fashion week can be really overstimulating sometimes. So as much solo and recuperating time as I can get to myself. I cherish those moments, the solitude of it all. But I also love Paris as a city, so finding the areas that I like to be around, and the ones that make me feel at home, is also a great reset.
Favorite lesser-known Paris pitstop?
There’s this Vietnamese place called Saigon d’Antan. I don’t know if been un-gatekept by TikTok, but it needs to be gatekept. I swear by it.
Do you have a favorite PUMA silhouette?
The early 2000s Speedcat — the colorways, the materials are all so good.
DOLLY
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Dolly, I’m 21, and I’ve been modeling for 3 years. I have a new puppy dog right now. Life is good.
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Zendaya. I really love her. What I felt when I first saw Zendaya, I won't get the same feeling with anyone else.
Do you have a number one fashion week styling tip?
I just try to stay myself. When you go to the store to buy something, those aren’t your clothes. You want to wear your clothes. And for everyone to remember you when you leave.
What’s the one thing you’d never go to fashion week without?
AirPods. Sometimes you need to be in your bubble.
KOFFI
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Koffi, I'm 25 years old. I’ve lived in Paris for a good five years now. I work in fashion. I'm a stylist, and also a talent for social media. I love music, art, I love to dance. I love to cook. I love sports. I love everything.
What’s your go-to outfit for being a bit more low-key at fashion week?
If I don't want to think too much, I put on my jogging pants, my little hoodie... and of course, I layer a lot because it's very cold. A big puffer jacket too. I'll make it look like I didn't think about it, but I actually really did.
Where’s your hoodie from?
My girlfriend gave it to me. No idea where it’s from.
What’s been the best era of PUMA in your opinion?
Favorite is hard because they really experimented a lot back in the day. I just went into the archive room and there are so many beautiful models, it's crazy. But in general, I really like the Japanese-inspired models. They're always my highlight.
