In the bowels of Puma’s Herzogenaurach, Germany headquarters down a long, labyrinthian hallway is a small door. The unassuming door could be mistaken for the entrance of a janitor’s closet or locker room facilities to one of the campus’s many on-site workout centers.
Inside however, is the most valuable room in all of Puma HQ—perhaps disguised accordingly—their archive. Inside are floor-to-ceiling racks organized with many of the German brand’s most historic pieces—Olympic memorabilia, first-generation suede Clyde Frazier shoes, track-worn Formula 1 bodysuits, a custom-branded Puma cuckoo clock. Today, there is also a giddy American rapper, thumbing through the intricately stacked shoeboxes, nothing short of a kid in a candy store.
A$AP Rocky is here to add his own contribution to Puma’s long history of groundbreaking collaborations. His new Mostro Disccords will be preserved alongside pieces birthed by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander, MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane, and more. The room is also where Rocky’s Puma journey first began. Collaborating with Jon Tang, the Lead Designer of Sportstyle Footwear for A$AP Rocky & Fenty, the rapper slash designer began constructing a new silhouette, pulling from various archive references, mainly the spike-soled Mostro and Disc Walkman, for a Frankenstein creation—with all the confident suave and swagger of a generational Harlem rapper.
We caught up with Rocky to learn more about the new shoe, collaborations, and his current sources of inspiration.
The Mostro Disccord has the feel of a racing shoe. You’ve been into the world of Formula 1 recently, has that influenced your personal style at all?
I don’t think that Formula 1 influenced my style, I think it just challenged it.
How so?
I think that for me, taking risks is super important. Anything challenging is always worth doing. There are beautiful things that are created out of risks.
Collaborations sometimes involve taking in a lot of outside perspectives. Did starting your career in an artist collective help you with that process?
I’m one of the best collaborators of our generation, of our time, and I mean that in the most humble, modest way. I look good with myself, and I look great with other components, and I fit with other components. I think that that’s my strong suit. When I came in the game, I was all about collaborations and bridging gaps between two components that don’t really necessarily belong together or people wouldn’t think we’ll work together. And I love that challenge.
What’s your biggest inspiration right now?
My biggest inspiration right now is just my life, my circumstances, everything that I’ve been through. I think my journey is probably my biggest inspiration. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m doing a lot of self-reflecting right now at the moment and just appreciating life for bigger things, little things, and trying not to stress out about things that are just subsequently inevitable.
Where do you see sneaker culture going in 2025?
I see sneaker culture thriving, as it does now. I think sneaker culture isn’t going anywhere, especially for the next 30, 40, 50 years. I think sneaker culture is here to stay. And as far as just brands and different designers and different designs and different types of sneakers, I think that they’re purposeful to whatever the genre that they would design for. And, you know, I think every footwear category deserves some type of sneakers, even luxury.
What do you want to see more of in the footwear sphere?
More Pumas!
