Juan Salcedo collabs with Puma and Shoe Palace. Credit to Andrea Ramírez.
Los Angeles, California (May 12, 2025)- In a groundbreaking fusion of motorsport, streetwear, and contemporary art, 20-year-old Colombian-American artist Juan Salcedo has designed a one-of-a-kind Formula 1 racing suit for an exclusive collaboration between Puma and Shoe Palace. Unveiled during the Lights Out Miami event, the project marks a bold step forward in connecting elite racing culture with the raw creativity of a new artistic generation.
Known for his introspective and emotionally charged visual work, Salcedo brings a deeply personal lens to this unexpected canvas—the F1 driver’s uniform. The custom-painted suit functions both as wearable art and cultural artifact, featuring an overhead view of a Formula 1 car illustrated in Salcedo’s signature style: vibrant, imperfect, and unapologetically expressive. The back of the suit features a roughly drawn outline of the Miami Grand Prix circuit, a nod not only to the artist’s hometown but to the mental mapping and visualization techniques used by elite drivers in high-stakes racing.
“This project brought me back to one of the first things I ever loved,” Salcedo says. “As a kid, my dad would come home from work every day with a toy car. I would study each one, memorize their lines, connect them to the world outside. That fascination turned into imagination, which eventually turned into this.”
Salcedo’s selection by Puma and Shoe Palace speaks volumes about the direction of modern creative culture. His ability to resonate with Gen Z audiences—through the worlds of fashion, art, and social commentary—has positioned him as a leading voice in a generation that consumes and creates on its own terms. His previous work has appeared at major cultural events including Miami Art Basel and Miami Fashion Week, and in notable spaces like Aura Copeland Gallery and White’s Art Gallery.
This latest project signals a new kind of storytelling—one that speaks to the intersections of identity, memory, and modern performance. It’s more than a fashionable one-off or a promotional stunt. It’s a carefully crafted symbol of what happens when creativity isn’t confined to galleries, but allowed to race forward, full speed, into unexpected terrain.
“I feel like this is a moment in my career where I can truly appreciate what my purpose has become,” says Salcedo. “I’ve always wanted to inspire others—especially the youth—to chase their dreams. I’m incredibly grateful to Shoe Palace and Puma for trusting me with that responsibility. It’s more than just a suit. It’s a message.”
In a sport defined by speed and precision, Salcedo’s suit offers something different: a pause, a reflection, a memory in motion. And for a generation used to blurring the lines between culture, sport, and self-expression, it may just be the perfect fit.
About the Author
