PUMA's Latest Sneaker Drop, Tsugi Shinsei, Hits The Streets

New age sneakers need to cater to the new age—their domain shouldn’t be country club tennis courts and jogger parks, their domain is the street. The urban landscape calls for comfort against the rough concrete, speed when you need to book it, and true class, not some Johnston & Murphy whose sleek leather can’t survive a day outside the carpet of a 35th floor office — we’re talking Teflon tough with smooth flow on the soles and the eyes.

PUMA wants you to claim what’s yours and ‘Run The Streets’, that’s why they’ve been pumping 2017 with loud sneaker launches as fast as UFC Champ Conor McGregor snaps back a speed bag. Puma already sauntered into 2017 with the IGNITE Limitless drop, their launch video causing almost as much chatter as the kicks themselves. To be fair it doesn’t get much better than the The Weeknd gliding down the streets of LA each step steady, boasting 3 M reflectivity on the heel and tongue with a four-way stretch neoprene clamshell construction.

Just as IGNITE Limitless embodies the Weeknd’s journey from cutting mixtapes in Toronto at 65 Spencer to cruising the ‘City of the Angels’ in a Lamborghini, PUMA drops Tsugi Shinsei — the sneaker that brings you old school Japanese design through a futuristic lens.

Sneaker Specs

Tsugis are the samurai of sneakers, a shoe designed to catch your eye like the glint of a blade and provide seamless, swift movement. The offset lacing works together with the knitted upper based on sock construction to balance the perfect fit with (scalable) comfort. This technology is design to make you and your sneaker effortlessly feel as one. These cutting edge low-tops are fabricated out of meticulous selection and placement of nylon, leather and PUMA’s very own EvoKnit, so that each material best caters to the feel and look of the futuristic sneaker.

And if you come down from a lay-up with a lot of heat or go hard at the club, the proprietary IGNITE FOAM midsole is designed to disperse the impact, providing the cushioning and rebound that’s been missing in 21st century sneakers. Moreover, if you’re taking your shoes to the street you need some support. That’s why these slick sneakers have got an elastic gore heel for dynamic support and a rubber outsole rippled for traction. And for style the sneakers rep a sheild vamp sporting the PUMA cat and a bold woven PUMA logo at heel.

Like we said, these are the samurai of sneakers. Grab a pair here.

Much More Than A Sneaker

So what is Tsugi Shinsei?

Tsugi means ‘next’ in Japanese and everything about this sneaker, from conception to execution, represents the next generation of sneakers. Tsugi is not just a new sneaker, it’s a new philosophy.

How can a sneaker represent a new philosophy? It’s simple, you’ve probably never questioned the technology and structure behind your sneakers, it’s something many take for granted. However, if you’re going to run your streets you better know what’s on your feet. That’s why PUMA has questioned everything, dissecting not what sneakers ‘should be’, but what they need to be. This is where the second part of the low-top sneaker’s namesake come in. ‘Shinsei’ translates to “reborn” in Japanese and in this case refers to the arrival of PUMA’s first release of the Tsugi sneaker series, a style of sneaker free from the shackles of pre-concieved and erroneous notions associated with progressive sneakers.

In addition, PUMA has partnered with KITH, the New York-based puyvayors of slick, contemporary footwear. The first round of colourways of Tsugi are black, triple white and the highly sought-after olive and orange special Kithstrike release (limited to 150 pairs) — the style being a throwback to aviator bomber jackets. Slip on a pair here.

What’s Next

Puma #RunTheStreets is determined to globetrote the world and drive real conversations around creativity and artistic expression. One of their main pit stops is our city by the bay, Mumbai. Puma has partnered with Homegrown to offer sneaker heads and artists the opportunity to interact with a brainchild of independent professionals who make their bread contributing to the arts, music and culture of India. It’s time for the Puma Run The Streets Masterclass, and of course, the much awaited Qilla Records showcase.

Puma #RunTheStreets Sessions | Qilla Showcase

Venue: antiSOCIAL, Khar

Date: 20th April

Time: 8-10pm (Masterclass x Conversation x Interactive session) | 10pm-1.15 am (After Party)

Puma and Homegrown are working on this campaign in collaboration with Qilla Records, an underground music techno label, to bring you the co-relation between art and music by day, leading up to a gritty, warehouse techno party by night. We’re sure you’re going to dig this line up:

Kohra | Jitter | Hans Seance | Big Fat Minimalist

If you want to hit the Launch Party with the newly released Tsugis click here.