PUMA has steadily released banger after banger as part of its recently revived RS-0 range and the silhouette’s street cred continues to rise. Next up is the RS-0 SOUND.
In bringing back the ‘80s Running System (RS), PUMA looked to three undeniably influential cultural pillars for inspiration: gaming, photography, and music. The latest iteration is, of course, inspired by music and all of its culture defining elements.
Having stripped the original RS back to its most fundamental elements before creating the new RS-0, the silhouette is a story of reinvention and PUMA has used this as part of a guiding philosophy behind every design. When it came to the RS-0 SOUND, remix culture, sampling, and musical reinvention were front of mind.
Alluding to ‘80s drum machines, music videos, and boldly colored fashion trends, the RS-0 SOUND drops in a series of brightly colored and color blocked styles. Just like the previous versions of the silhouette, it features a sleek lacing system, subtle perforations on the vamp, a tonal embossed Formstrip, and colorful padded inserts. With the addition of the R-System logo on the tongue and outsole, the final result is both clearly informed by the past but made for the future.
First used in 1986, PUMA’s Running System is a cushioning technology initially developed during the running boom of the 1970s and ‘80s. Despite completely rethinking and rebuilding the mechanism from scratch using new materials, the original spirit of innovation remains as part of all recent RS-0 colorways. Feeding today’s hunger for both nostalgia and newness, the PUMA RS-0 has a timeless spirit worthy of both the past and future.
To honor the importance of innovation and reinvention, we’ve worked with five visual artists who are breaking new ground and giving life to their unique ideas for the future. Each artist or collective of artists has been tasked with interpreting one of the RS-0 concepts and for the RS-0 SOUND we enlisted still life photographer and art director Mathilde Karrér.
Karrér describes her style as eclectic, inspired by vintage films, paintings, architecture, and graphic design. "I'm just driven by curiosity and creativity," she explains. "If I don't know how to do something I'll figure it out."
To create the scenes above, Karrér looked back at classic PUMA ads and analog special effects from the ‘80s, eventually sourcing props from audio equipment collectors in Paris and Berlin. Like all artists, Karrér regularly looks back in time for inspiration believing that creators should know what has come before them, be curious, and open to opportunity. Looking forward, she anticipates contemporary crafts and mediums will continue to exist but be combined in totally new ways. Despite being optimistic, she added, "I really hope we do this in balance with the planet we live on."
Get your hands on the PUMA RS-0 SOUND at PUMA.com, PUMA stores, and leading sneaker retailers worldwide with a limited drop on July 28 and wider release August 16. Check out the RS-0 PLAY here plus more Running System models here.
