Puma R698 Ronnie Fieg Sakura

Released alongside the newly introduced RF698 Mid as part of the Sakura pack, the Ronnie Fieg x Puma R698 'Sakura' personified the early stages of the cherry blossoms in Japan. After a trip to Japan, Tokyo quickly became RF's favorite city in the world, partly because of the Sakura Puma's inspiration, the cherry blossom. Starting out as a white then transforming into a faint pink, before turning to deep cherry red, the cherry blossom only blooms for 7-10 days of the year, revered by those in Tokyo for its beauty, just as sneaker enthusiasts do the Sakura R698. Constructed of lush microperforated pigskin suede throughout the upper, with a deep red toe box, the Cherry Blossom Pumas featured a gradient midsole that faded from the toe back to the mid-foot from the deep red to white. This was the first time that Ronnie Fieg had ever used a gradient midsole on one of his projects, fittingly applied to the Japanese Cherry R698 to capture the evolution of their blossom. Available at both Kith locations and online during the Spring of 2015 as part of the Tokyo Sakura Collection, the Ronnie Fieg x Puma R698 'Sakura' embodied the essence of the beautiful cherry blossoms. Additionally, Ronnie Fieg draws inspiration from his first trip to Tokyo for his latest Puma R698 'Sakura' sneaker, featuring a light pink base with white overlay panels and burgundy at the toe box, paying tribute to the city's famous annual cherry blossom festival. Other details include a petal-like scythed lateral formstripe, 3M KITH tongue branding, petal embroidery on its heel, and a tonal gradient fade on the Trinomic midsole.