写真家Maxime BallesterosがPUMAの最新スエードキャンペーンを撮影

Whether we realise it or not, every day we are surrounded by images that require endless hours of collective creativity. From posters on the tube and campaign billboards to magazine editorials and the photographs filling our feeds, every image is the result of different creative perspectives coming together behind the scenes. The photographers, stylists, casting directors, set designers and countless others all leave their mark on the final picture, even if we rarely stop to think about it.

That sense of creative collaboration is at the root of PUMA’s latest “Never Not Suede” campaign. Split into three chapters, the project follows a group of friends as they settle into a new city, build connections and find their footing within unfamiliar scenes. While the story feels contemporary, it also reflects something that has always surrounded the Suede itself. Over the years, the silhouette has been reinvented by different generations, subcultures and cities.

First launched over five decades ago, the Suede has been around long enough to pass through different scenes, styles and generations without really feeling tied to one moment or one crowd. “Never Not Suede” leans into that history, focusing on the people and communities that continue to make the shoe their own. In honour of the campaign launch and PUMA’s upcoming Suede drops, we’ll be spending the next few months speaking to some of the creatives behind the project and exploring the different perspectives they brought to it. The first of those creatives is photographer Maxime Ballesteros.

Born and raised in the countryside of Lyon, France, Ballesteros first spent most of his adolescence taking pictures. But, similar to the characters in the ’Never Not Suede’ campaign, it was not until he took a leap and moved to Germany that he opened himself up to a new world that, in turn, began shaping his creativity. “I moved to Berlin as a young alt teenager,” he explains, from the set of the shoot in Athens. “New city, new friends, new everything. It was so awesome, the time of my life.” 

Coming up at a time before Instagram became the app we know it as today meant that for Ballesteros, there were no tutorials on how to build your world and brand as a photographer. Instead, similar to how the Suede’s cultural impact developed organically over the years, Ballesteros naturally absorbed the world around him and learned everything he needed through his curiosity on the job. “We see a picture on the street and think, ‘easy, I could do that’, but then when you’re on set, you have to deal with the whole thing. It’s a bigger process than we think, and I did not know about that.”

Now, since relocating to Paris after 13 years in Berlin, Ballesteros is still finding new ways to source inspiration in the day-to-day. “Because of photography, I place myself as an observer of the world,” he says. “I watch the new generation, what they are into and what they are doing.” Subtle moments on a street while he travels through Paris on his bicycle give him insights into different youth communities across skating, music, cinema and more. 

With a photography style that feels more natural than staged, the energy on set is one that makes a difference in his work. In order to capture more of those unstaged moments, befriending the team, crew and cast becomes a vital part in bringing a layer of authenticity to stories. “[It makes us] all feel comfortable being on either side of the camera, and I do not feel like I am stealing anything from anyone,” he explains, speaking about building a rapport with the people he works with. “We have this connection, and I constantly have an eye on what is going on, and I can be discreet and not disturb anyone.”

“I place myself as an observer of the world,” – Maxime Ballesteros

The first drop of the campaign sees the release of the Suede Classic. Honouring the original Suede, it highlights how, despite the power of finding new ways to reintroduce a product or message, the original version will always be important. Throughout the couple of days of shooting, there is a passion on set that reflects that same energy. Despite the whirlwind of a big, fast-paced production, Ballesteros’ original, genuine love for just taking images still shines through. Even when it’s not his time to shoot a scene, he is rarely seen without a camera. On a late-night shoot in the arcade, as the crew sets everything up, he walks around and casually snaps a moment between some of the models hanging out just as he subtly passes by. 

For Ballesteros, his idea of being “never not suede” comes from trusting in the talent and ability that got him in the room to begin with. “They hired me because of my eye and my vision,” he says, explaining how he met a brief while remaining true to his style and craft. “We sort of collaborate on what I see and what they need. They need the logos to be shot in a certain way because they need very specific things that make a campaign. But I’m still keeping my eye on things. We try to make a compromise, and we try to both be happy with the end result.”

As more drops continue this summer, we will give you a further behind-the-scenes look at what goes into bringing a campaign to life. Head above to watch a video of Maxime in action and stay tuned here for more.

Whether we realise it or not, every day we are surrounded by images that require endless hours of collective creativity. From posters on the tube and campaign billboards to magazine editorials and the photographs filling our feeds, every image is the result of different creative perspectives coming together behind the scenes. The photographers, stylists, casting directors, set designers and countless others all leave their mark on the final picture, even if we rarely stop to think about it.

That sense of creative collaboration is at the root of PUMA’s latest “Never Not Suede” campaign. Split into three chapters, the project follows a group of friends as they settle into a new city, build connections and find their footing within unfamiliar scenes. While the story feels contemporary, it also reflects something that has always surrounded the Suede itself. Over the years, the silhouette has been reinvented by different generations, subcultures and cities.

First launched over five decades ago, the Suede has been around long enough to pass through different scenes, styles and generations without really feeling tied to one moment or one crowd. “Never Not Suede” leans into that history, focusing on the people and communities that continue to make the shoe their own. In honour of the campaign launch and PUMA’s upcoming Suede drops, we’ll be spending the next few months speaking to some of the creatives behind the project and exploring the different perspectives they brought to it. The first of those creatives is photographer Maxime Ballesteros.

Born and raised in the countryside of Lyon, France, Ballesteros first spent most of his adolescence taking pictures. But, similar to the characters in the ’Never Not Suede’ campaign, it was not until he took a leap and moved to Germany that he opened himself up to a new world that, in turn, began shaping his creativity. “I moved to Berlin as a young alt teenager,” he explains, from the set of the shoot in Athens. “New city, new friends, new everything. It was so awesome, the time of my life.” 

Coming up at a time before Instagram became the app we know it as today meant that for Ballesteros, there were no tutorials on how to build your world and brand as a photographer. Instead, similar to how the Suede’s cultural impact developed organically over the years, Ballesteros naturally absorbed the world around him and learned everything he needed through his curiosity on the job. “We see a picture on the street and think, ‘easy, I could do that’, but then when you’re on set, you have to deal with the whole thing. It’s a bigger process than we think, and I did not know about that.”

Now, since relocating to Paris after 13 years in Berlin, Ballesteros is still finding new ways to source inspiration in the day-to-day. “Because of photography, I place myself as an observer of the world,” he says. “I watch the new generation, what they are into and what they are doing.” Subtle moments on a street while he travels through Paris on his bicycle give him insights into different youth communities across skating, music, cinema and more. 

With a photography style that feels more natural than staged, the energy on set is one that makes a difference in his work. In order to capture more of those unstaged moments, befriending the team, crew and cast becomes a vital part in bringing a layer of authenticity to stories. “[It makes us] all feel comfortable being on either side of the camera, and I do not feel like I am stealing anything from anyone,” he explains, speaking about building a rapport with the people he works with. “We have this connection, and I constantly have an eye on what is going on, and I can be discreet and not disturb anyone.”

“I place myself as an observer of the world,” – Maxime Ballesteros

The first drop of the campaign sees the release of the Suede Classic. Honouring the original Suede, it highlights how, despite the power of finding new ways to reintroduce a product or message, the original version will always be important. Throughout the couple of days of shooting, there is a passion on set that reflects that same energy. Despite the whirlwind of a big, fast-paced production, Ballesteros’ original, genuine love for just taking images still shines through. Even when it’s not his time to shoot a scene, he is rarely seen without a camera. On a late-night shoot in the arcade, as the crew sets everything up, he walks around and casually snaps a moment between some of the models hanging out just as he subtly passes by. 

For Ballesteros, his idea of being “never not suede” comes from trusting in the talent and ability that got him in the room to begin with. “They hired me because of my eye and my vision,” he says, explaining how he met a brief while remaining true to his style and craft. “We sort of collaborate on what I see and what they need. They need the logos to be shot in a certain way because they need very specific things that make a campaign. But I’m still keeping my eye on things. We try to make a compromise, and we try to both be happy with the end result.”

As more drops continue this summer, we will give you a further behind-the-scenes look at what goes into bringing a campaign to life. Head above to watch a video of Maxime in action and stay tuned here for more.