PUMA SUEDE MEDELLÍN SKATE COMMUNITY

Summary:

• Director Lauren Luxenberg and local skater Ronal Sanmartin document Medellín street culture through the Touching Ground project.
• The project uses digital photography, analogue film, Super 8, and camcorders to capture local identity and community ties.
• PUMA features the visual series to highlight the long heritage of the Suede footwear line among street subcultures.

Lauren Luxenberg and Ronal Sanmartin document the daily reality of youth culture in Colombia through a long-term project named Touching Ground. You see local skateboarders against the backdrop of brick houses, steep mountain slopes, and urban alleys across Medellín. PUMA features this ongoing documentation project to present the historical Suede footwear model, a low-top sneaker tied to global subcultures for decades. Sanmartin, known within local street spots as WTF Ronnie, works directly alongside director Luxenberg to capture real moments without artificial studio production. Their combined camera work relies on varied recording formats, blending modern digital photography with traditional analogue film, Super 8 motion picture stock, and hand-held camcorders.

The visual archive goes far beyond standard action photography of trick executions on skate spots. When you look at the media collection, you observe neighborhood relationships, family ties, and daily routines across different districts of the city. The imagery displays how personal connections, regional traditions, and geography shape local identity. Skateboarders wear the PUMA Suede model throughout these everyday situations, continuing a pattern of adoption seen across global street movement, hip hop, and skate scenes over multiple decades. The choice of footwear connects classic German product design with contemporary Latin American street life.