The PUMA Mostro is an objectively wild sneaker. Brought back from the brand’s archives at the start of this year, PUMA's low-profile silhouette has a spiky sole that spills onto the upper and snubs laces for a series of straps that attach to the inside of the shoe.
It’s an unconventional shoe design that PUMA is making even wilder.
In the lead-up to an event PUMA is hosting in New York on February 8 to celebrate the return of the Mostro, the German sportswear label has posted an image of a silver Mostro that looks unlike any we’ve seen before.
For starters, the Mostro's spiked sole unit has been obviously exaggerated and features more prominently on the sneaker's upper, while the strap closure has been ditched, and the fabric replaced with a material reminiscent of silver chainmail, dotted with tiny holes.
The entire shoe looks as though it has been 3-D printed, however, there’s no official word yet on what technique was used to create the sneaker's hole-covered material.
Speaking to WWD about the event on February 8, Heiko Desens, creative director of Puma, said: “We will also be using the moment to reveal some Mostro design concepts clearly pointing toward the future to build the sneaker archive of tomorrow.”
This Mostro reveal is presumably a look at one of those design concepts and it has lived up to Desens' promise. The PUMA Mostro was always futuristic, but this version takes things to the next level. It looks like it's from a different dimension.
Whether this silver Mostro is an obscure, future-driven concept made specifically for PUMA's event in New York or is an upcoming product that will hit shop floors is yet to be determined. However, I'm sure hoping it's the latter.
The return of the Mostro is currently in full swing since the shoe was revived in its original colorways on January 13, and this iteration joins a host of other models that have recently been teased.
For example, there’s an entirely pink-colored pair and a collaboration with the Korean label San San Gear which we are also patiently waiting to get more information on.
These unreleased shoes have been getting considerable attention recently and celebrities like Skepta and A$AP Rocky wearing the Mostro have only helped to build excitement around the shoe.
PUMA has been finding success in re-releasing old favorites from its storied history (such as the Mostro). But this new Mostro is different, it does away with any nostalgia for PUMA’s Y2K years and stares the future of sneaker design straight in the eye.
