Cool Collab: PUMA X Bradley Theodore

WORDS Lilly Quin

Celebrating its 50^th year on the streets, sneaker and sportswear brand PUMA has paired up with innovative New York-based street artist Bradley Theodore to create a range of fresh PUMA Suedes.

The design features hand-painted Pantone stains in a variety of bright colours, splashed over the black suede upper and laces, which are encased by a translucent outsole. As a nod to Theodore’s form, each sneaker displays a tiny, radiant skull on the heel and is accompanied by his signature on the lateral side.

Bradley Theodore.

Known for his vibrant, skeletal renditions of pop culture icons like Muhammad Ali and Karl Lagerfeld, Theodore explains that his inspiration for the PUMA X BT collection came from the act of creating.  “When I’m painting in the streets, I’m wiping my hands off on my clothing in order to pick up my phone or grab a new brush,” he explains. “Organically I started to have people comment on my paint-stained clothes and want to know where to buy them, so I wanted to bring that element to the PUMA collaboration. I once had someone offer $10 000 to frame my pants!”

The sneakers are complemented by a range of T7 track pants and tees.

The Suede 50: PUMA x BT collection will be available locally from early September at PUMA SELECT stores, with apparel available at X-trend.

For more information, visit puma.com.