Slim sneakers are one of the biggest fashion trends this year: Louis Vuitton’s Sneakerina, Adidas’s Taekwondo, and Miu Miu’s low-tops all debuted this past year, cementing the look. And now, Puma’s H-Street sneaker, which looks like something between a sneaker and a soccer cleat, might just be the shoe of the summer.
This month, Puma invited me to travel to Seoul to get a four-day crash course on how the shoe came to be. Inside Layer 41, a warehouse in the shopping district of the city, I found a sneakerhead’s heaven — it even managed to be interesting for me, someone who knows very little about collecting shoes. The first floor was outfitted like a Puma museum and included an exhibition that traced the H-Street’s origins back to 2003 with the Harambee Track Spike shoe, a technical running sneaker that looks almost identical to its 2025 release sans spikes. The new iteration was redesigned for modern wear with a breathable mesh; a thicker, better-fitting cushion; and brand-new colors, the very first being an in-your-face green. The reworked shoe will be released in June for under $80, and the brand hopes the lightweight mesh shoe will be a summer option for fans of the suede Speedcat, a similar shoe. Since the Speedcat did so well in Seoul, Puma was eager to introduce the H-Street here, first.
Puma’s exhibition to celebrate the shoe’s launch brought out local talent and local stans: Outside, fans were waiting to catch a glimpse of Itzy’s Yeji, Squid Game’s Jo Yuri, and the Boyz’s Juyeon. Inside, the space featured multiple activations hosted by the creative studio Cold Archive: There was a street salon, a styling station, a place to customize your own H-Street sneakers with charms, and a snack bar. After seeing a girl with long locks come out with the sleekest bob in human history, I decided I needed to try the salon. A drastic haircut was tempting, but I decided on nails instead and sat down across from local nail artist and model Masha Park. We immediately hit it off, and after I gave her full rein to do whatever she wanted with my nails (we decided on 3-D metallic blobs), we swapped New York and Seoul recs and discussed Sex and the City. As I prepared to head back downstairs, I had two options: stay in my seat with my new friend or join the crowd of press standing around waiting for Rosé to emerge. I decided to stay put, chatting with Park, hairstylist Aya Kuraoka, and Cold Archive’s Purple-Qie Qin. After two and a half hours, Rosé emerged for ten minutes, waved to the crowd, then left. She posted a Reel from a photo room I had just taken a selfie in. “I need a smoke,” said Qin, pushing outside for the first time all day.
Once outside of my cubby, I made my way to a T-shirt station nearby where guests were encouraged to make a “___ sucks” shirt. “It was inspired by the ’90s ‘MODELS SUCK’ T-shirt Naomi Campbell wore. It was a way to express your feelings about your culture, and we wanted to introduce that here for the new generation,” said Qin. Later that day, after all the fanfare had passed and my H-Streets (I opted for a red pair, which will come out later in the year) had received a bow or two at the customizing bar, I was out to lunch. They were the only bright-colored shoes I saw for a mile, but I couldn’t tell you how many times I was stopped and complimented. I didn’t get a chance to say hi to Rosé, but I think she would’ve loved them.
