The Whitaker Group is opening its Puma partnership with the Suede CODA Echo Points collection, and the Flaxen colorway is the quietest of the three.
The Puma Suede has been in circulation since 1968 and carries more cultural weight than almost anything else in Puma’s catalog, from Tommie Smith at the Mexico City Olympics to B-boy culture in the Bronx through the ’70s and ’80s. The Whitaker Group, the retail group behind A Ma Maniére and Social Status, spent the past several years building its reputation almost entirely on Nike and Jordan work, so a Puma project reads as a real change in direction.
All three Echo Points pairs use a faded finish meant to look like they have already been in rotation, with suede uppers, fuzzy laces, and stitched Formstrips. The shape of the Suede is left alone. The concept was built around a Pittsburgh creative group and three roles the collaborators call The Mixologist, The Curator, and The Sound Architect. CODA is planned as a multi-season project, with footwear, apparel, and experiences to follow.
This signals Puma buying access rather than trying to manufacture cool internally, and that is the smarter move. The Whitaker Group brings a customer base and a retail footprint that Puma has struggled to reach on its own in the US. Whether it holds depends on whether Puma gives the partnership enough room to build past the first drop. More releases coverage is here.
Release details: August 21, 2026. $130. Style code 410071-01.
Where to buy: A Ma Maniére, Social Status, APB, JAIDE, and Puma.com.
-->
