A$AP Rocky and PUMA are taking another trip into the brand’s archives, this time resurrecting a little-known trail silhouette and transforming it into something built for the streets.
The latest presentation from their ongoing creative partnership is the Straycat, a heavily reworked sneaker based on PUMA’s 2005 Ouninpohja Explorador II. Rocky has stripped back the original’s outdoor functionality and pushed its more rugged characteristics into a much louder, motorsport-influenced direction.
Visually, the Straycat's upper arrives in a mixture of black and grey with distressed finishes that give the sneaker an already-worn character, while flashes of red and orange break through around the collar. A metallic silver Formstrip runs across the side, with a lime green double-lacing system adding another unexpected layer to the design.
The chunky outsole has been rebuilt with a Vibram rubber compound and features an aggressive tread pattern inspired by automotive tyres. It also marks Vibram’s first true co-branded outsole, with a custom PUMA Cat logo integrated close to the toe.
Rocky and PUMA's partnership officially began in 2023, when he was appointed Creative Director for PUMA’s Formula 1 business. From the outset, his role was designed to explore the space where motorsport, fashion and streetwear overlap, with Rocky involved across product, campaigns and the wider visual direction.
Since then, the collaboration has gradually expanded beyond race-inspired apparel. Rocky has repeatedly dug through PUMA’s archive, reworking silhouettes including the Inhale, Speedcat and Mostro while applying the same irreverent design language that has shaped his wider creative career. PUMA itself highlighted the partnership as a major part of its Sportstyle activity in 2025, pointing to the media attention generated by their projects together.
The Straycat follows that same formula, although its starting point feels considerably more obscure. By reviving the Ouninpohja Explorador II, Rocky is once again looking beyond PUMA’s most obvious classics and finding potential in silhouettes that have largely disappeared from the conversation.
The footwear is joined by a wider collection that continues the motorsport-meets-streetwear narrative. Matching apparel is accompanied by functional bags, racing-inspired gloves and balaclavas, allowing the Straycat to sit within a complete Rocky-designed universe.
It is also another sign of how far Rocky’s position at PUMA has evolved. Earlier this year, several unreleased PUMA designs appeared during Rocky’s AWGE show at New York Fashion Week, including the Straycat itself, before the silhouette was confirmed for a wider release.
The Straycat is scheduled to release on August 27, 2026, continuing what has become one of PUMA’s most distinctive ongoing creative partnerships.
