In an increasingly try-hard world of collaborative fashion where every drop comes with a 12-minute short film and a PDF about the designer’s feelings, PUMA and Aries have managed to keep things pretty grounded for this one. Their latest link-up lands somewhere between a Muay Thai gym and a late-night Dreamcast session – and that’s not a criticism. This is a collection that could’ve easily tipped into daft cosplay territory – a neon Tekken pastiche of sorts – but instead it toes the line nicely.
The campaign is fronted by Anna “Supergirl” Jaroonsak who is an actual professional fighter, I mean look at how high she can kick. She brings an undercurrent of ferocity to align with the wicked and wild gear. Shot by Norbert Schoerner – the man behind some of the most surreal and stylish fashion shoots of the past 20 years – the whole thing is quietly solid. With nods to old video game loading screens and fighting games of the Tekken and Virtua Fighter era, the whole concept sit’s on the ethereal side of things yet feels tethered to a collective psyche we all know.
Then there’s the Mostro. If you remember the original from the late ‘90s, you’ll recall it looked like something a Bond villain might wear to the gym. Flash forward to 2025 and gone are the Velcro straps that never quite knew if they were sporty or orthopedic. In comes a more refined lacing setup, part-covered like a fencing shoe, with some tidy leather panelling that gives it a made-by-hand feel without pretending someone whittled it from a single piece of hide.
It’s still weird – and proudly so. But in a time when a lot of brands seem to be playing it safe, it’s good to see a silhouette that doesn’t try to play by the rules. The Mostro doesn’t want to be your next shoe rotation essential. It just wants to look odd and be comfortable – and that’s alright by us.
We’ve enjoyed testing these shoes out and were pleasantly surprised, given even we tend to play it safe when it comes to our personal footwear, how well they look alongside our usual outdoorsy get up. This chicken was full of intrigue at the sight of them, maybe it was just the colour but I like to think it was gauging whether it could pull them off.
If you’ve grown tired of collaborations that feel like they were cooked up on a whiteboard in a WeWork, this one’s worth your time. It’s actually pretty interesting. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s just a solid collection that actually looks better the more you put it through its paces.
Now go do a press-up or something.
Available at Puma.co.uk
