In 1986, Puma took the sneakersphere by storm when it revealed the ‘World’s first computerised pair of sneakers’ called the Puma RS-Computer Shoe. They set the pace for modern technology and fitness, by placing a chip right at the heel of the shoe. It connected to old school Apple and IBM PCs, as well as the Commodore 64, via a 16-pin connector. Combined with the ‘special software’, you’d boot up from a floppy disk, and see your workout data in 8-bit graphics.
The ‘86 pair was a one-off and was noted to be quite unorthodox at its original launch for simply being way ahead of its time. Who knew? 30-some years later, the pair would turn out to be nostalgic gold. Now this cult has been revived as has Puma relaunched the iconic pair with a limited 86-piece capsule, a nod to the shoe’s original release year.
Titled the RS-Computer or the Running Shoe-Computer, the pair flexes a retro-urban dialect in its design; think of a ‘Back to the Future’ style (coincidently, the iconic movie made its debut just a year before the original RS-Computer did). There are red and black buttons on the pair’s heel, added to mimic a battery’s plus and minus charge poles. They are however non-functional on the shoe. Puma is relaunching this as a unisex pair in an exclusive space white colourway.
While staying true to the original aesthetic, the computing half of the shoe gets a major revamp. With a fit-bit style technology fitted onto the heel of the shoe, which works as good as a modern-day fitness tracker just wrapped-up in old-school aesthetic. The revived edition will be able to track distance, steps and calories while transferring all data to the wearer’s smartphone. The pair also adds in a three-axis accelerometer, LED indicators for charging indications for its USB plug-in. Obviously, the shoe doesn’t need charging but the chunky heel chip, does. All this, analysed and Bluetooth-synced with your smartphone.
Puma’s only releasing 86 individually numbered pairs that’ll be sold at Puma stores in Berlin, Tokyo, and London, as well as KITH retailers. They went on sale on December 13th with an official pricing of $650.
All Images: Courtesy Puma
Mikhail Gomes
Features Editor, Lifestyle Asia India & Contributor - Augustman
A watch aficionado, Mikhail also enjoys learning about fine whiskies, and one day hopes to establish his own menswear label. At Lifestyle Asia India, he writes on watches, menswear, auto and tech.
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