PUMA's Mostro Is a Different Animal — San San Gear Made It a Beast
PUMA is going hard right now, transforming some of its more obscure sneakers into genuinely flex-worthy statement shoes. Take the gloriously Y2K Mostro, a throwback silhouette made even spikier by San San Gear.
San San Gear, a Seoul-based brand, gave PUMA's Mostro sneaker a little more edge with a suede upper and an exaggerated take on the Mostro’s typucally sharp bottom that now creeps up the toe and around the sides.
The PUMA logo is prominent in all three collaborative colorways (dark grey, white, and pink) with San San Gear’s branding on the side of the easily adjustable Velcro straps, which the Mostro has worn since it was released in 1999, 20 years prior to San San Gear being born.
It’s definitely not an understated sneaker but what else would you want from a sneaker named after the Italian word for “monster?” PUMA's Mostro is truly a different animal but, thanks to San San Gear, it's a beast in the best kind of way.
The Korean label’s current collection includes technical flight jackets, athletic jerseys, and slouchy wide-legged pants — it’s easy to see how the PUMA Mostro fits in here with the San San Gear's sporty, structured vibe.
PUMA's other famous driving sneaker, the Speedcat, is also peaking (or at least rising and rising). It’s only time before the Mostro starts to pop up here and there as the more adventurous among us try them on in the hunt for an alternative to obvious It Shoes.
The PUMA Mostro, which PUMA only revived in its original colorways on January 13, was inspired by both sprinting shoes and surf shoes so it was born to be a little chaotic. But chaos, used correctly, is a good thing and San San Gear’s PUMA Mostro is a perfect example.