On this blessed day, PUMA has announced a collaboration with The Pokémon Company International in the form of a very special Pokémon collection of PUMA sneakers.
The sneakers available take inspiration from five fan-favourite Pokémon – Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Gengar. Each Pokémon shoe is a different style in the PUMA brand, and they all look pretty sleek.
Following the tradition of my last post about a fashion/video game collaboration, I decided to take the shoes that art part of the collection and give them definitive ratings. What kind of ratings, you ask? Oh, stink ratings, of course.
To fit the theme of shoes and feet, each shoe style will be given an odour rating which will define how fire they actually are. If you’d any of the shoes on display, make sure to get on the PUMA website on November 18th to grab your own pair.
Pikachu RS-Xs: Neutral Odour
I think these Pikachu RS-X kicks are probably the most sneaker sneakers you will see of the bunch, and they don’t really slay for me. I can tell right now that that’s going to be an unpopular opinion, and I understand that. Different strokes, different folks. However, they DO look like the kind of shoes a Pokémon trainer that specialises in Electric-type Pokémon would wear. That’s a very good thing.
Pikachu Rider FVs: Better Odour
Of course, Pikachu gets a second pair of kicks. I actually do prefer these ones to the previous ones though, as they’re a little more muted and cute. The little lightning symbol on the back of the shoes as well as the lightning on the black parts of the shoe is a very cool touch and Pikachu is still a little sweetie. I enjoy the odour that these kicks emit, it’s true.
Bulbasaur Rider FVs: The Best Damn Odour You Ever Smelt
These have to be my favourites out of the bunch. The different blue-toned greens all work so well together, the plant symbol on the back is very zen, and the PUMA branding being a small red touch is a nice nod to the little dino’s big red eyes. I think it’s just a great representation of an underrated starter. Big love. Delicious stench.
Squirtle Suedes: Soapy Odour
These shoes are so scary to me purely because I know I would make a fucking mess of them. When I drop a small spoon of bolognese from the dinner table on accident and they hit these bad boys, there will be no water-squirting turtle to come clean me up. I think the dark blue touches could’ve benefited from being a light brown like Squirtle’s shell, but these remind me of soap, which is a nice odour.
Charmander Slipstream: Spicy Odour! Hot!
These shoes have the cool vibe that I feel the Pikachu RS-Xs was going for. The blotchy soles are hot as hell, and the oranges and yellows all work together VERY well. Similarly to the RS-Xs though, these shoes definitely feel like a pair of sneakers that a Fire-type exclusive Pokémon trainer would wear, which I think is an important essence of making a Pokémon shoe. When I smell the odour of these shoes, my nose burns.
Gengar TRC Blaze Courts: The Odour Of These Shoes Will Kill You (Positive)
These ones are David’s favourites, and I quite like them myself. I’m a huge Gengar head, I freakin’ love the guy. All the colours work so right and everything just works. These are very cool sneakers. I would die if I saw a basketball player repping the Gengar shoes. I would die. To death. And then hopefully, I would become a Gengar myself. What a dream.
Which ones are your favourites? Let us know!
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