Fashion trends come and go, and iconic looks from the 2000s are back with brand-new takes on items such as cargo pants, crop tops and tracksuits.

There is a craze for Y2K fashion and PUMA has unveiled its highly anticipated new sneaker line, Teveris NITRO inspired by PUMA’s 2000s running range with one of the hottest K-pop girl groups right now, IVE as the face of the collection.

Back on 30 June 2023, PUMA announced that Gaeul, Yujin, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo would be their official APAC Ambassadors. With their chic and youthful energy, we can’t think of anyone better to take a stylish leap into the past while embracing the future of fashion.

Plus, with their numerous catchy songs exploring themes of self-love, they are fitting ambassadors of loving yourself through style.

In the campaign, the girls wear timeless and relaxed pieces that are transformed with minimalistic aesthetics and elevated details like voluminous pockets and tiny labels. A mix of the DARE TO, PUMA Team, and CLASSICS collections, what’s great about these pieces is that you can mix and match them within the collection for casual looks or with more formal pieces for special occasions. DIVE (IVE fans) will definitely look like BADDIES in these.

If you check out their website, you can actually shop the looks according to your bias under the ‘Worn by Ive’ collection. This includes a hoodie, mock neck tee, cropped hoodie, sweatpants, and more.

DARE TO Cropped Woven Jacket

Right now, I’m personally loving the laid-back luxury with a Y2K twist style and when I visited a PUMA store recently, I actually copped a DARE TO Cropped Woven Jacket (RM419) because it’s black and goes with pretty much anything. I also like its cropped cutting because baggy jackets personally make me look frumpy. FYI, it kinda looks like a karate gi in the picture, but I swear it looks way better on.

Plus, it's lightweight which is perfect for our Malaysian weather, and it has rainCELL: Technology designed to keep you protected from the rain and dry during exercise. In the PUMA ads, the jacket is worn by Yujin who pulls it off with ease due to her refreshing visuals.

I love what the girls are wearing and honestly, I had to exercise extreme self-control not to buy everything in the collection because I can’t afford it on my writer’s paycheck *boss please take note* (Editor's note: okay, ignored). My other picks are the DARE TO Hoodie and Sweatpants TR which come in a gorgeous Icy Blue which seems like something Britney Spears would’ve worn back in her heyday.

Teveris NITRO Metallic Sneakers

The magnum opus of the collection is, of course, the Teveris NITRO Sneakers. I was thrilled when PUMA kindly sent me the Teveris NITRO Metallic Sneakers in black (RM539). I’m also seriously considering getting a pair in silver *checks wallet* ...or not. These come in a total of four exclusive colourways available only in Asia including two pastel shades, one in blue hues and another in stone gray hues.

The black ones are the very same ones worn by Wonyoung in the campaign. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that she’s an IT girl in Korea with impeccable visuals who is sought after by brands like Innisfree, Miu Miu, Chaumet, and of course, PUMA.

Standing at 1.73m and usually towering over other female idols and her members, Wonyoung is even known for wearing sneakers while all the other members wear heels so this is something she would definitely wear in real life.

I tried on the Teveris NITRO draws on performance aesthetics to create everyday footwear with a sporty edge. Incorporated at the midsole, its nitrogen-injected foam or NITRO cushioning provides top-level cushioning, responsive strides, and a lighter-than-air feel and even gives you a little bit of lift for that height boost (although this still doesn’t make me nearly as tall as Wonyoung).

The design sports a black canvas upper with hairy suede overlays and gold metallic tinges. The upper section of the shoe is made of 68.13% cow leather, 22.17% Textile, 9.7% Synthetic so we wouldn’t recommend getting it wet or getting mud on it. Basically, you can wear this to the mall but not jogging. Another cool detail is its gold cracked leather heel tab.

The overall look is understated without being a typical black sneaker with its unique details.

These comfortable-yet-chic shoes will definitely be essentials that I’ll easily pair with my baggy jeans or a mini skirt and blazer. Ultimately, what I love about them is that I can upgrade my sartorial game without sacrificing comfort as some sneakers (like ones from MLB) can be really heavy.

Add these to your PC collection

Best of all, the purchase of any item in the collection gets you a free set of autographed (printed, not actual signatures) holo IVE photocards of all six members and it even comes in a cool holo envelope. Photocards (while stocks last) are exclusive only to Southeast Asia and Taiwan so even K-fans can’t easily get them *winks*.

Watch the campaign video here:

Check out the behind-the-scenes video of the campaign here where you can see how the girlies play so well with each other. Aww:

Shop the look by IVE on PUMA.com, Lazada, Zalora, PUMA Stores and selected retailers nationwide. Their website offers free standard shipping with a minimum purchase of RM200.

Image credit: PUMA