Margielyn Didal takes inspiration from the Cebuano rice snack that she used to sell as a child on her latest collaboration shoes with New Balance (NB).
FILIPINA skateboarder and Olympian Margielyn Didal has collaborated once again with footwear brand New Balance only this time channeling her childhood experience of selling pusô.
Pusô, also called hanging rice, is a popular Cebuano rice snack wrapped and boiled in a casing made of coconut leaves. It gets its name from its shape that loosely resembles a heart.
Before becoming a skateboarding champion, Didal used to sell pusô near a skate park in Cebu City. To announce the collaboration, she even gave a quick tutorial on how the rice treat is made.
"My inspiration for my new shoes is the 'pusô', it is made of rice covered with coconut leaves. You see the details on the side, when you touch it, it's like holding the pusô," she said.
The NB Numeric Margielyn Didal 272 skate shoe comes in black and green with a texture reminiscent of the bamboo wrapping of the pusô.
Additionally, the insoles feature a picture of pusô in a bunch, much like how one would see it being sold on the streets of Cebu.
While NB Philippines has yet to announce the price for Didal’s latest kicks, the Us website has posted the NM272 for $79.99.
It can also be remembered that Didal has previously collaborated with NB for the Margie Didal Pro NM379 ‘Pilipinas’ sneakers which she wore in the 2020 Olympics and was priced at P4,995.
NB also shares that the new shoes will drop “in New Balance, The Athlete's Foot Philippines, and Common Ground very soon."
Didal won the hearts of many skateboarding fans as well as Olympics fans in general when despite missing a podium finish, the 22-year old athlete showed energy and sportsmanship that was endearing to many.
Tags: #MargielynDidal, #Cebupuso, #NewBalance, #Skateboarding