You may have first heard that the youngest of the Kardashian clan, Kylie Jenner, inked a deal with Puma as a collaborator and brand ambassador back in February. (You may have also heard that her brother-in-law Kanye West, creator of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350, wasn’t too happy.) Well the 18-year-old’s first kicks with the company—the Puma Fierce ($90; puma.com)—finally dropped today.
According to the press release, "The PUMA Fierce is a lightweight laceless training shoe designed to be both versatile and functional and mixes performance-ready technology with street-worthy styling. The unexpected design has a demi upper bootie construction with technical overlays, a supportive midsole, and flex grooved outsole allowing for fast and dynamic multi-directional movements. The style will take you to and from your latest training class while taking your look to the next level."
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I’ve had a pair stashed in my closet for a while, and figured it was finally time to dig them out. I wear-tested them this morning during a workout with Courtney Paul, creator of CPXperience and star of Bravo’s Workout New York. Here are my thoughts:
Off of looks alone, I give the Fierce an A. They are super sleek, easy to slip on, and the perfect compliment to any athleisure look. I can see myself rocking these on the weekends easy. They are also pretty similar to Rihanna’s Fenty Trainer that launched with the brand earlier this year and sold out before most folks could whip out their credit cards. So here's a second chance. (As I am writing this, I did a quick search online and disocvered that the black and white colorway is already sold out. You still have an all black, all grey and red option, though.)
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As far as working out goes, they get a B+, and here’s why: Since they lacked laces, I was unable to customize the fit—I like my shoes nice and snug—and my foot didn’t always feel secure, especially during moves like lunges. It felt like my foot was sliding forward in my shoe a bit. (I’ll give the shoes the benefit of the doubt for now, and say maybe my socks are to blame for that.) That is really my only complaint; everything else about the shoe totally won me over.
They are super light, which I like, because I didn’t feel weighed down during all those jump squats I did. Despite the extra heel height, they still felt low to the ground, which made me feel grounded while squatting and lifting weights overhead. They also have excellent grip, which was perfect because slick gym floors are typically not my friend. And they are really comfortable.
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Will I work out in them again? I can honestly say yes. But I will be conscious to slip into them for classes that are more lifiting-based rather than movement-based. I recommend you guys try on a pair in the store and do a few front and side lunges in them and see if you have better luck with those moves than I did. Now, when it comes to kicking it around down, you will definitely see me sporting these babies. Thanks, Kylie!