Melo’s Glow Show: PUMA LaFrancé RNR Goes Radioactive

doesn’t do subtle, and neither does his LaFrancé imprint. The latest spawn from his growing linkup is the LaFrancé RNR in a radioactive ‘Grey/Neon’ fit, and it looks like something cooked up in a glow-stick factory after hours.

The RNR has always been a mutant mashup – part trail shoe, part streetwear experiment – but this colourway dials things up yet another notch. Smoky greys lay down the foundation, while toxic-slime neon pipes through the seams, glowing like hazard tape under blacklight. Flip it over and you’ll find a shiny blue jewel wedged in the outsole – totally unnecessary, but why the hell not?

For the first time, PUMA have also slipped a translucent TPU lacestay into the design, giving you X-ray vision on the eyelets. It’s a small tweak, but one that shifts the RNR further from basketball DNA and closer to the fashion-frontier category where LaMelo clearly wants to play.

For those catching some Zs in the stands, LaFrancé itself has quickly become Melo’s sandbox to play outside the lines of performance footwear. Where his – series handles business on the hardwood, LaFrancé has drifted into lifestyle territory – mixing chunky soles, wild palettes and unpredictable materials. It’s less about replicating what works on court and more about seeing how far Melo can stretch his eccentric style into everyday wear.

Retail is locked at $125 in men’s sizing, with grade-school pairs checking in at a clean $100. Drop day is October 3.

For more on the Big Cat, make sure to Tyrese Haliburton’s latest Hali 1 colourways.