As part of Demna’s latest collection for Balenciaga, titled Exactitudes, the House he’s been commanding for almost a decade has teamed up with Puma, the giant known for redefining sportswear. Together, they’ve found common ground both in terms of design, philosophy, and lifestyle, resulting in high-end tracksuits and a revamped version of the 1999 emblematic Speedcat model (well, destroyed). Here’s what you need to know.
For a match made in heaven (or on the track field, perhaps) like this, Balenciaga and Puma have given their all in terms of intensity. Literally speaking. The campaign, featuring models Diede, Tianee, Brooks, Yav and Joe, finds them dancing to gabber (to Françoise Hardy’s Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles, more specifically), a high-energy music genre known for raising BPMs to over 200. Because both Balenciaga’s and Puma’s DNA are run by intensity, movement, emotion, and shock value. Just what we needed to say farewell to Demna.
As for the collection, don’t get it wrong: they’re all manufactured with Balenciaga’s savoir-faire. So the sweatsuits are crafted in extra-dry molleton while the tracksuits are made of crisp and faded nylons incorporating archival Puma detailing from the 90s. There’s also several Demna-isms: for example, a shearling ‘tracksuit’ jacket and a trompe-l’oeil suede bathrobe coat lined with brushed reverse molleton.
