Let us set the scene for you; it’s Fashion Week in New York City, the streets are abuzz with excitement, fashion aficionados are out in droves, and something is stirring in the Manhattan air. It’s the magical time of the year when designers debut their Autumn/Winter 2024 lines and emerging trends come to fruition both on and off the catwalk. Honestly, we couldn’t wait to pack our bags, cross the Atlantic, and be a part of it.

Just like all the trendsetters, fashion fans, models, and creatives, we arrived in “The Big Apple” last weekend, taking our place amongst the crowds. Walking from venue to venue around the vibrant city, we witnessed exquisite lessons in layering, proving you can still make cold weather work, while sturdy boots and techy trainers accounted for the majority in pounding the pavements. However, though we were there to revel in street style, we were also there to witness something unique – the comeback of an icon.

Deriving from the Italian word for ‘monster’, PUMA’s Mostro was first launched back in 1999. It embodied the obscurity of being right on the edge of a new millennium and redefined our expectations from footwear as we entered Y2K. Yes, that Mostro. It’s back. As the Creative Director of PUMA, Heiko Desens stated, it’s time to “celebrate the comeback of one of our most unconventional ‘low-profile’ icons”. This show promised to stand out from the rest, whilst pointing to the future of PUMA and its archive. We think it did just that.

It’s show day, February 8th, and it’s time for PUMA to kick off New York Fashion Week at the Park Avenue Armory. The chosen setting was a statement in itself, part palace, part industrial shed. The Park Avenue Armory was built by the state’s Seventh Regiment of the National Guard back in 1861. A marvel of the time’s engineering, this building remains one of the largest unobstructed spaces of its kind in the whole city.

This dramatic and poignant building with its strong history seemed overly fitting for the event. Cast in red lighting, we entered through the doors in anticipation – inside, it could have been a timeslip, filling the floors were ‘90s cult classics; Mostro, Avanti, and of course, the Speedcat – set to be the next IT shoe.

The Armory was transformed into a fairground for the senses, Eartheater’s ethereal siren-like vocals kicked off the event as the frow – think Emily Ratajkowski, Davido, Ashley Graham, Jason Sky, and Hari Nef – settled into their bleacher seats. PUMA continued to deliver on its amusements theme but made it a darkened dystopia, flying swings took centre stage, legs of passengers dangled as it whirred – no bodies on this ride.

Time for fashion, models stormed the circular catwalk clad in sport-inspired outfits that commanded the audience’s attention. Retro-football and F1–ready designs seemed to be the focus, with each outfit accompanied by its own Mostro. Practical and techy finishes married with pro-athletic fabrics and shapes cut for movement were unsurprising for a sportswear giant, however, it was the futuristic silhouettes and avant-garde accessories that announced PUMA’s intention to return as a fashion leader.

Fitting for an Autumn/Winter collection, the palette rarely strayed from greys, navy blues, black and white, apart from brazen pops of neon-adjacent camo, illuminating 2010’s scuba ensembles, and glimmering silver. The brand played with proportions lowering hemlines, raising jackets, and dropping shoulders, using the blueprints from classic PUMA and delivering them in new ways, for a new generation.

Racing-inspired styles were confirmed with collaborations from BMW, Ferrari and Porsche. Leather tops paired with lycra, silky camo tracksuits, and exquisitely cut bodysuits were teamed with bespoke racing helmets encrusted with jewels. These unexpected showstoppers were hopeful glimmers of things to come. Sign us up.

Can’t wait for the Mostro to launch? See what else PUMA have to offer at size?