There’s nothing as exciting as two creative minds coming together and birthing a new product. Designer Masaba Gupta has now joined hands with the German multinational company Puma to design a sneaker for the very first time. Christened ‘The Cali Sneaker’, the shoe doesn’t borrow inspiration from a place or an event—in fact, it’s a call for awareness for the deep-rooted anxiety and identity issues that all millennials are facing in today’s social media-ruled world. Vogue chatted with the designer to understand how the collaboration came about, her thought process behind it, and why she decided to focus on the issues of anxiety and identity.
What brought on the decision to highlight issues of anxiety and identity with a sneaker?
“I feel that today’s generation is just moving at the speed of lightning without even pausing for a minute—and this is a major cause of anxiety, which has become a curse on this generation. Arising from this crisis is a serious loss of identity, considering we’re constantly seeking validation from everyone and everywhere. The idea is to encourage this generation to pause for a minute, take a breath, decode themselves and search for who they really are beneath all the layers. The [millennial] generation is living under the hegemony of society’s pressure and anxiety. We wanted to encourage people to think for themselves, make their own decisions and just stop for a minute to catch a breath. Mental health comes before everything else, and we wanted to create awareness around it. I think living with your problems doesn’t make you a hero, but taking a step towards fixing it does.”
How have you incorporated your signature motifs into the design?
“Each shoe has elements that have been a part of our identity since its inception. While the anti-anxiety shoe plays with classic motifs through hand-painted Masaba caricatures and hints of our classic polka, the identity shoe remodels the Masaba palm as an alta hand painted with locks and keys.”
What would you style these sneakers with?
“They are extremely versatile. You can pair them with laid-back everyday wear or even a sari.”
Why have you chosen a white base for the Puma sneaker instead of a bold colour?
“Puma presented the white base to us and since that was the only room we had to paint, we turned it into a canvas, and used as much colour as we could. It’s good to have a cleaner background, as we could play around while still keeping the pattern controlled.”
What was the most exciting part about this collaboration?
“It feels good that with Puma, I got the opportunity to bring awareness about mental health through my thoughts and designs.”
