Culture and community intersected at the Mostro Lab when the Puma Mostro made a bold appearance at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town on Thursday, to celebrate the iconic silhouette.
The showcase was at Castle of Good Hope. Source: Supplied.
Debut
Named after the Italian word for monster, the sneaker debuted in 1999 and gained cult status with its bold, boundary-pushing design which expressed the spirit of the Y2K era.
Mostro gained renewed attention through an appearance at New York Fashion Week last year and at Paris Fashion Week in January 2025, and the tribe of contemporary converts continues to multiply thanks to special-edition releases and sought-after collaborations.
Puma’s invite-only takeover of the Castle saw guests entering an immersive space where design elements created a visceral sense, they had been swallowed into the bowels of a creature that is living, growing and reacting. The eerie, dystopian atmosphere combined with a clinical experimental aesthetic, ensured attendees were seized by the thrilling Mostroverse.
Markus Wormstorm, Ivan Turanjanin and Athi Maq delivered the soundtrack for this avant-garde space where minimalism met tech, and the lines were blurred between retro and futuristic.
The psychological core of the creature was the startling Room of Refraction created by Cape Town artist Inka Kendzia. This Mostro Mind installation featured reactive lighting, laser projection, and ambient audio, transforming the space into a living, thinking entity. Cameras embedded in shrink-wrapped shoes hanging from the ceiling, captured real-time footage of the guests - their distorted reflections fed back into projections on suspended screens and plastic sheeting, making the guests part of the Mostro’s consciousness. Not just observing the monster’s mind - they had entered it.
In the nearby Room of Reflection, bold guests could receive tooth gems in a space transformed into a futuristic dental lab, complete with a dentist chair, clinical lighting, and staff dressed in lab-coats, surgical masks and gloves. This offered guests an unexpected souvenir - and a striking transformation that lasted beyond the event. As did the flash tattoos fashioned by the talented artists from Palm Black Tattoo studio. Guest could also transform their sneakers with gems, studs and laces at the customisation space.
The Castle’s historic water fountain was transformed into a dramatic cinematic photo moment, thanks to a combination of light-reflecting mirrors and thick, rolling smoke. Mostro tentacles emerged from this mist, holding up the Mostro logo - creating a powerful, branded backdrop for each highly shareable photo moment.
Even the food curated and conceptualised by Studio H captured the aesthetic – think black sourdough cracker stacks with neon pink hummus and yellow split pea dips, served in pipettes for a lab-like tasting experience. Guests also feasted on black charcoal bao buns with sticky soy lion’s mane mushroom, while the sweeter of tooth savoured the black and silver sesame shortbread with black sesame marshmallow. In keeping with the Mostro Lab’s aesthetic, drinks were served in suspended IV-style serum bags, creating a moment of immersive theatre.
A hybrid of two worlds: the 1960s sprint spike and 1980s surf shoes, the Mostro set the tone for a new era in lifestyle footwear when it hit the scene in 1999. It gained cult status thanks to its unconventional look, often seen on the feet of trendsetters and style rebels. As fashion turned futuristic in the early 2000s, the Mostro's sleek profile and alien-like design made it a perfect fit for both sneakerheads and avant-garde fashion circles.
Influential figures
Over the years, the Mostro has graced the feet of several influential figures such as Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Rihanna and most recently ASAP Rocky whose 3D printed Mostro was on display in the Mostro Lab. From underground cult classic to runway regular, the Mostro is no longer the monster in the shadows – it is front and centre. In 2025, as fashion continues to blur the lines between retro and futuristic, the Mostro has found a new generation of fans.
Honouring this rich heritage, guests at the Mostro Lab could explore iconic archive designs, including the striking metallic gold Mostro Alto Boot from 2005 as well as several other iterations from the early 2000s. They could also discover the latest collaboration drops like the Mostro OG, Mostro Ecstasy, Mostro Camo, Mostro Mesh, Mostro Perf, Mostro Fey, the UR Mostro and the Mostro Boot Leather.
In the lead up to the event, Puma hosted a Seeding Lounge at Milck Studio in Woodstock where guests got to encounter and explore the latest iterations of the Mostro and related Puma apparel in an exclusive design space.
"The uniqueness of Mostro provided an ideal opportunity for Puma to create an unforgettable experience merging sneaker culture with fashion and design,” said Brett Bellinger, Puma South Africa Marketing Director. “The bold and attention grabbing Mostro appeals to trend enthusiasts. Those creative expressionists who keep evolving, who like to keep their look current and are never afraid to stand out. These pioneers of play are innovators, unafraid to make bold, trend-setting style statements.”
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