Selena Gomez is dipping a toe into sneaker design. Today the singer revealed her first collaboration as brand ambassador for Puma. The sleek, all-white style, known as the Phenom Lux, comes with gold accents and a removable ankle bracelet and is best worn with a pair of Puma’s new sheer windowpane socks—an accessory for which Gomez also lent her vision. “I’ve been wearing some fun socks with my sneakers, and it just makes me feel a little bit more feminine,” Gomez told Vogue via phone from Los Angeles. “I spent a lot of time creating a sock that felt comfortable, chic, and fun.”
Gomez has been styling her Pumas with the same high socks and ever-present anklet for some time now, and the new release allows her legion of fans to follow suit. “It has that chain that makes me feel womanly and makes me feel cool,” she said. “It gives you a little bit of sparkle, and it can make you feel like you’re dressed up even when you’re in sweats.” Gomez has already been sporting the Phenom Lux beyond the gym: Last month, she took them to the studio while wearing a pair of track pants topped with a leather jacket. “I’ve become super into my way of wearing sneakers,” she said. “I also wear my sneakers with dresses, things that feel pretty.” In November that meant swapping her heels for Puma sneakers at a black-tie benefit gala for the Lupus Research Alliance; Puma has pledged that $100,000 from sales of the collaboration will go toward the nonprofit, which aims to find a cure for the autoimmune disease that Gomez has publicly opened up about battling.
Gomez is so comfortable in kicks, in fact, that a ligament in her leg became sore when she recently ventured out in heels for the first time in months. “It’s totally fine!” she said with a laugh. The Phenom Lux is the latest addition to her ever-expanding footwear collection, which has around 50 pairs in a mix of styles and colors to suit her every mood. “My hair, my clothes, my shoes—it’s always a reflection of what I’m feeling for that day,” Gomez said. For the moment, it’s sneakers. “They’re definitely dominating. My security [staff] wears them, my best friends wear them, and it just feels easy.”
The Phenom Lux sneakers ($110) and socks ($14) will be released on April 6 exclusively at Puma stores and puma.com.
