Sunday Shades at PUMA's Run the Rave in Bangkok
Bangkok doesn't do things quietly, and neither does PUMA. Last month the brand turned the NIC Factory into a full blown running rave to launch their newest daily trainer, the Deviate Pure NITRO, and PUMA's own ambassadors from across Southeast Asia were right in the middle of it, in Sunday Shades.
The event was called Run the Rave, and honestly the name says it all. Part run, part party, zero chill. Think pounding music, light shows, food stations, and a 3km course that felt more like a festival lap than a training session. PUMA SEA & Oceania flew in their regional ambassadors and running crews from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, and a good number of them were out there in Sunday Shades on the night.
For us this wasn't just about being at a cool party. It was a proper stress test. Night runs are brutal on eyewear. You've got shifting light from stage rigs and phone flashes, sweat pouring nonstop, and a course full of quick turns and elbow to elbow crowds. If a pair of sunglasses is going to slide, fog up or bounce off mid stride, this is exactly the kind of event that would expose it.
By the sounds of it, our frames held up the whole way through. No adjusting, no pushing them back up the nose, no do-not-bounce fit failing anyone even when the crowd got tight near the finish. That's the kind of thing you can't fake in a studio shoot. It only shows up when someone is three kilometres in with their heart rate through the roof and the bass still hitting.
Beyond the run itself, it was genuinely special seeing Sunday Shades out there in a room full of Southeast Asia's running community, on the faces of PUMA's own ambassadors no less. Different countries, different crews, all speaking the same language of just wanting to move and have a good time doing it. That's the same energy we try to build into every pair of shades we make, gear that keeps up with you instead of getting in the way.
Massive thanks to PUMA SEA & Oceania for having us out, and to everyone who came up to chat about the frames on the night. If you caught the reels from Run the Rave, you'll know it was one of those events where the shoes and the shades were both working overtime.
The Deviate Pure NITRO is out now if you want to see what all the fuss was about. And if you're chasing that same no bounce, no slide feeling from your own sunglasses on your next night run, you know where to find Sunday Shades.