The rapper The Weeknd was interviewed by Footwear News on the release of his new Puma XO Parallel shoes, which will hit retailers on Aug. 24.
Source: How the Weeknd Plans to Make His Parallel Sneaker With Puma a Cultural Phenomenon
I never mince words on this site and I’ve had a lot to say about Puma’s current ascent in fashion. I wasn’t very kind to either Meek Mill or The Weeknd in this article:
Insider Ties: Puma net profit up 4% on footwear, time to dump Meek Mill
I even stated that Puma’s current success would be short lived. I underestimated the power of Rihanna and the Fenty line. I don’t feel bad about acknowledging that. I still stand by the fact that The Weeknd will not sell shoes for Puma and this Parallel shoe, like many shoes, has a very familiar feel and at 220.00 a pair it is entering into premium footwear prices for streetwear kicks.
The obvious “parallel” here is with Yeezy and adidas, but Yeezy has a long history in footwear going back to his debut with College Dropout. The Weeknd doesn’t even create a blip on the radar in regard to kicks so when I saw this boot styled design for his first official release, I didn’t waver in my thoughts that The Weeknd won’t generate sales. My primary reason is that the shoe has a striking similarity to another brand and could be consider a lower priced option. The Fear of God military boot is often found in a store like Kith where the Parallel will be dropping. As this will not be a big release the potential for a sell through is there, but as of late even Staple collabs from Puma have been sitting. I actually saw the Daily Paper x Puma shoes sitting and on sale for 69.99. The only recent men’s Puma with impressive sell through was the Puma x Coogi. That shoe however was inspired by the Notorious B.I.G. and has a 90s element retro feel that is right on trend. Here we have a Fear of God inspired military styled boot/sneaker from the Weeknd and I just don’t see this pulling anyone away in August when the weather still hasn’t shifted to Timberland/Nubuck kicks. What do you think?
Below the Fear of God Military Pack
