Puma Suede 'Pride'
Colorway: Black/Light Lavender · Style code: 380838-01 · Release date: May 22, 2021 · Price: $72 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Puma Suede 'Pride - We Are Everywhere' (390972-01)
Light lavender against black is a restrained way to mark Pride, and that is the route Puma took with this pair in 2021. The upper is black, with lavender used as the accent, which puts it at the far end of the spectrum from the full-colour graphics these collections usually carry. It went on sale May 22, 2021 at 75 dollars, a few weeks ahead of the month itself.
Lavender carries its own long history as a signal within the movement, which makes it a more pointed choice than a rainbow and a considerably more wearable one. Against a black upper it also reads clearly without shouting, since a pale purple has nowhere to hide on a dark base. The practical result is a shoe that works well outside the season it was made for, which most collection pieces never manage. The silhouette is a sensible platform for it too: in continuous production since 1968, it carries a shorthand almost everyone recognises, so a small change of colour registers immediately.