Hajime Sorayama's Draconic PUMAs Really Do Look Lunar
PUMA and Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama have teamed up again following their late 2023 collaboration for a new, shimmery capsule collection to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The shimmery, futuristic collection includes apparel and updated versions of the PUMA Palermo and Spirex sneakers, giving the term “moon shoes” a new, draconic meaning.
Sorayama reimagined the sleek Palermo shoe in a UV silver coating, giving the ageless lifestyle sneaker a little space-age sheen while still maintaining its versatile silhouette.
The Spirex sneaker is even more of a showstopper in a metallic silver casing atop a thick white sole that makes it look like something a cheerleader might wear one day at Moon University.
They’re perky, sporty, and are packaged in collectible Year of the Dragon-themed boxes but, given the Sorayama Palermo’s and Spirex’s reasonable price points and attractive designs, these kicks deserve to be taken for a walk.
The apparel, which includes tastefully futuristic tracksuits, hoodies, leggings, caps, and duffel bags, is offered in neutral black or shades of green with yellow accents, the two colors symbolic of the Year of the Green Wooden Dragon.
Dragon motifs run throughout, including one particularly cool green hoodie with a double dragon logo dripping down the back — futuristic athleisure for the win here, Lunar New Year or not. Speaking of, though, the capsule releases on February 1 just ahead of the LNY on Feb 10.
Sorayama, known for his metallic, erotic robot paintings, partnered with PUMA last year for a similarly glimmering collab, too.
To celebrate the German sneaker brand’s 75th birthday, the artist created silver- and gold-gilded Clyde and Slipstream shoes as worthy of a trip to outer space as the Lunar New Year capsule’s sneakers.
Soryama has previously collaborated with streetwear brand Richardson, Stella McCartney, and even PornHub, but this PUMA collab might be the most tasteful imagining of his artwork to date.
If we need sporty lifestyle kicks when the robots take over, the Sorayama Palermos and Spirex shoes will be the sneakers on the front line.
