The German sportswear giant PUMA threw a “Welcome to the Amazing Mostro Show” that was anything but ordinary, transforming New York’s historic Park Avenue Armory into a fantastical amusement park complete with a vintage swing ride and a heart-pounding rave soundtrack. But the real star of the show was the iconic PUMA Mostro sneaker, making a triumphant return after two decades.
Remember the spiked behemoth that ruled the streets in the early 2000s? The one with the Velcro straps and an undeniable “monster” attitude? It’s back! As PUMA‘s creative director, Heiko Desens, puts it, “It’s a weird shoe, to be honest. It’s so different to any other sneaker on the market.” And that’s precisely why it’s so cool.
The PUMA Mostro was the foundation for 56 head-turning looks, styled by the fashion-forward Alastair McKimm. Think oversized tracksuits juxtaposed with form-fitting tops, avant-garde bodysuits tucked into roomy trousers, and a bold mix of black, white, navy, and grey punctuated by pops of metallic silver, neon yellow, and lavender. It was a masterclass in pushing boundaries and celebrating individuality.
The PUMA Mostro itself got a futuristic makeover, with 3D-printed low-cut versions and a show-stopping knit over-the-knee iteration with a sock construction. Desens explains, “We’re experimenting and reengineering the Mostro in 3D. What would it look like if you would start from zero? This is something we need to test.“
This spirit of innovation spills over into the accompanying apparel. Imagine oversized T7 tracksuits with massive pants and shrunken jackets, baseball caps with tiny brims, and dad hats with hilariously large ones. Desens describes it as “big extremes,” and it perfectly complements the Mostro’s bold personality. “Regular tracksuits don’t work,” he declares. “Everything is either really oversized or very shrunken. Those are the looks that work best with the Mostro.”
The Mostro’s revival is a response to a generation yearning for something fresh, something that breaks free from the uniformity that’s dominated fashion for the past decade. As Desens says, “They tired of the last decade of uniform clothes. They don’t want to conform to that anymore.“
And the good news keeps coming. The “Ectasy Pack” with its vibrant colors is dropping soon, followed by a camouflage version later this year and a mono mesh iteration next summer. Collaborations are also on the horizon, making sure the Mostro remains exciting and ever-evolving.
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