A$AP Rocky’s PUMA Launch Evacuated After Fight Draws NYPD

A$AP Rocky‘s PUMA sneaker celebration ended with an evacuation Thursday night after a fight brought police to the Manhattan event. The rapper attended the launch but did not take part in the altercation, according to reports.

The NYPD said officers answered a call at 10:30 P.M. and encountered a group behaving disorderly. TMZ reported that the gathering was ultimately cleared, though it did not establish whether anyone was arrested.

The outlet obtained footage of people exchanging punches and grappling inside the commercial building as security intervened. Its account describes guards separating the participants, followed by uniformed officers outside the venue keeping the remaining crowd calm.

The disruption cut into a rollout built around Rocky’s New York roots rather than a concert. PUMA had announced a Chelsea rave celebrating the skate and Hip-Hop scenes that helped give its Suede sneakers their identity.

His latest version updates the Suede ’94 in navy, with a deliberately weathered finish, gold detailing and a gum sole. A hoodie and T-shirt also revisit the company’s archive, extending the collection beyond footwear through a logo, fabric treatment and fit associated with the 1990s. The shoes retain a padded, raw-edge tongue.

“I chose to carry the washed effect throughout to give them a slightly worn-in feel, as if you’ve really broken them in,” Rocky said.

Rocky has spent more than three years in a creative-director role with the company, turning that relationship into a continuing design project. The campaign for this release also put him behind the camera as director, with Berlin providing the setting and photographer Spyder shooting the visuals.

His fashion work already reaches well beyond one sneaker collaboration. AllHipHop previously reported on his selection as the CFDA’s 2025 Fashion Icon, alongside his AWGE runway work and creative-director appointment at Ray-Ban.

The Harlem references also connect this release to his earlier PUMA work. His Fall/Winter 2025 collection drew on the neighborhood’s jazz heritage, while AWGE’s Paris runway debut in 2024 gave his design ideas another platform outside recording and touring.

The new Suede ’94 collection went on sale worldwide on November 12.