PUMA Trinomic XT1 Plus

• MODEL: PUMA TRINOMIC XT1 PLUS
• TYPE: RUNNING
• MADE IN: VIETNAM
• MADE ON: 07/13
• ART.NO: 355867 03
• FACTORY: FTWDM / FVNDM

Trinomic is a word synonymous with PUMA’s past, but just like the Suede or States silhouettes, or even the Disc technology, it’s a topic that bubbles up to the future of the brand.

What started as a twist on technology has become for vintage collector’s a way to discover the lost goodies of the past, but it’s now a term on the tip of everyone’s tongue (at least in the PUMAsphere).

Trinomic.

Does anyone who buys, loves, or talks about it actually know what it is? Certainly some, but probably not everyone. So it’s good to mention that the vintage technology rolled out by PUMA over three decades ago is also three-fold itself, bringing cushioning, stability, and flexibility to the wearer’s feet. The main idea behind the system was to place air-filled bubbles in a honeycomb shape into various parts of the sole unit, and (later) show them off fashionably with a translucent window in the out sole (most likely for a ‘wow factor’ that has partially worn off since then though the style has still stuck).

Fair enough, PUMA shouldn’t receive a prize for most original engineering concept as it seems that almost every major (and many minor) sportswear companies have played with bubbles at one point or another in their sneaker production (and some much more heavily than others).

However it’s important to note that many older and lesser known treasures from PUMA’s past – some exact examples being the Sky Jams, Agile’s, Elevator’s, or Sources – are more frequently referred to by their Trinomic technology then they are by their model names. And why is that? Because almost nobody knows what these shoes are any more, and they (more often then not) turn up boxless and with no markings on the model themselves to give clues towards the naming.

Thus, Trinomic is much more than just a running shoe system, it’s more than just an athletic adjustment, it’s actually a way to refer to some of the wonderful relics of PUMA’s unbelievably massive yet astonishingly unexplored distant archives.

Now fast forward to today; PUMA does the right thing by reaching back in time for various Trinomic models – the XT1 pictured here is a great proof of concept of that statement – and resurrecting them to reclaim the space that the name once held. From 1990 we see the resurfacing of a fantastic running and jogging trainer built from mesh, suede, and of course, some fancy bubbles underneath.

And if you’re still not buying a pair then it’s probably time to mention that they’ll be coming out in that good old OG green box. Yes, the one we’ve all been yammering about for ages, so basically now all you PUMA purists out there’ll have to pick up this little piece of history or risk being labeled a hypocrite!

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol