The Paris-based designer brings his sculptural eye back to the sportswear giant for a second collection.
Summary
- Puma and Rombaut reunite for a second collaboration, reimagining the classic Speedcat silhouette through a futuristic lens.
- The new Levitation sneaker features a sculptural extended heel designed to create a visual illusion of floating.
- The collection arrives in three distinct material variations, ranging from extraterrestrial silver mesh to a refined full-black leather option.
Mats Rombaut has a way of making shoes that look like they arrived from a different timeline. After a sold-out run last year, the Paris-based designer is rejoining Puma for a second season that leans heavily into that year-3000 aesthetic. The centerpiece of this drop is the Levitation sneaker, a shoe that merges the sportswear giant’s archival recognizable shapes with the sculptural oddities Rombaut is known for.
The design anchors itself on the Puma Speedcat. While the base is familiar, the execution is entirely avant-garde. The defining feature here is the heel. It extends outward in a way that suggests the wearer is hovering rather than walking. It is a trick of the eye that fits the collection’s retro-futuristic theme, balancing a no-gravity look with the grounding of modern streetwear.
The three available colorways function more like individual characters than simple palette swaps. The silver iteration leans into the extraterrestrial vibe, mixing mesh and leather with a dual-branded air bubble on the upper. For those wanting something less metallic, the white version pairs a chic suede toe-cap with a gum sole. The black option offers the most refined take, constructed from full leather and finished with a dark, marbled sole. It is a collection that manages to feel both technical and delightfully strange.
