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Solange's Kick-Ass Collaboration with Puma

Bold new takes on iconic sneakers by the singer, designer, and queen of cool.

By Sarah Rufca Nielsen January 12, 2015

Puma by Solange XT2 in Swirls (left) and Triangles (right), $180 each.

December 2014 must have been the busiest month in the history of the Gregorian calendar. (Do you know how many holidays we just had? Like, so many.) How else can we explain the fact that Solange Knowles—fresh off the world's coolest wedding—debuted a new sneaker collaboration with Puma last month, and it went unnoticed by us until now?

For her second stint as a guest artistic director for the sneaker brand, Solange brought in designers Gerlan Marcel, Hisham Bharoocha, and sister act Darlene and Lizzy Okpo—all veterans from her successful first collection for Puma, released last February. This time the design team set out to reinterpret the iconic Puma Suede and the Trinomic XT2. 

"I’ve been able to express so many parts of my artistry that I don’t necessarily get to do as much in my realm," said Solange on art directing her Puma by Solange collection.

The first trio of sneaker released was the "Wild Wonders" collection, defined by bright colors and patterns in neon shades of blue-green. Just two weeks later, Solange dropped two styles collectively called "Behind the Bazaar," each of which mixes a sand-colored neutral base with panels in gold or graphic print. 

"The two drops that make up this collection couldn’t be more different from one another but the commonality between the two is texture. I really wanted to focus on maximizing different textures to their fullest potential," wrote Solange on her Saint Heron label site. "The thing that I love about these two drops is you see the evolution of my personal style from the first collection into the second one. I love them both so much for totally different reasons."

This collection of cool kicks should hold us over until Beyoncé's line of activewear for Topshop is released this fall, or until one of the Knowles sisters decides to gift us with another surprise album drop.

The Puma by Solange collection is available online at Opening Ceremony and Madison Style. The XT2 styles will run you $180, while the Puma Suede sneakers are $120. 

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