PUMA's Hottest Sneaker of 2024? It Just Went Full Balletcore for 2025
PUMA had an impressive 2024, from collaborations with the most stylish man alive, A$AP Rocky, and the Mostro's spiky comeback. Also at the forefront of the athletic brand's success stood the Speedcat sneaker.
Originally released in the '90s, the PUMA Speedcat officially returned last year and quickly dethroned the adidas SL72 as fashion's hottest sneaker., per Lyst's quarterly index.
Fashion's "it" girls like Dua Lipa and Rihanna added the Speedcat shoe to their rotations, almost instantly upping the shoe's aura points. Plus, the slim design envious of Sambas and Onitsuka Tigers quickly made the Y2K sneaker the one everyone wanted.
Now, PUMA is taking the sneaker in a new, hyper-feminine direction.
Meet the PUMA Speedcat Ballet, a hybrid version of the red-hot shoe balancing a sneaker, ballet flat, and Mary Jane vibes. It also marries the best of the OG Speedcat into a fresh model. Traditional details like the signature Formstripe look, narrow sole, and the tiny PUMA logo can all be found on this new Speedcat ballet flat.
PUMA has previously ventured into the girlcore hybrid sneaker space, giving the Mostro shoe a Mary Jane spin last year.
The girly hybrid sneaker models have been around for a few years now, with Cecilie Bahnsen's ASICS Mary Jane collaboration really kicking things off. Brands like Salamon and Nike have since followed suit with French-style Mary Janes and ballet-esque Air Rifts, respectively.
With the wildly trendy Speedcat getting a ballet flat iteration, I can confidently say all hail the Mary Jane sneaker hybrids for 2025!
