02 Dec Rise Co-Owner Opens Up About Puma Sneaker Collab For HIV/AIDS Awareness
After losing his father to HIV/AIDS in 1994, Rise co-owner Chase Ceparano vowed to bring awareness of the disease however he could. The head of Huntington, N.Y.-based sneaker retailer teamed up with Puma for the New York Is For Lovers release, reimagining the brand’s Blaze of Glory silhouette to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS. The shoe retails for $145 and arrives today, World AIDS Day, via a New York City pop-up shop (345 Broome Street), Rise and the retailer’s website, rise45.com.
Ceparano shared with Footwear News why Puma was the brand to help spread his message, choosing the Blaze of Glory shoe for the collaboration and why raising awareness for HIV/AIDS is ingrained in Rise’s DNA.