Puma Suede

Last updated
Puma Suede
Type Sneakers
Inventor Puma
Inception1968;56 years ago (1968)
ManufacturerPuma
AvailableYes
Website about.puma.com

Puma Suede is a line of shoes produced by Puma, with the first model released in 1968. The shoe is notable for being the first sneakers to use suede which at the time of its release was still considered a luxury material. [1]

Contents

Overview

The idea of the Puma Suede came from the fact that the majority of sneakers at the time were all made of canvas and all mainly looked the same with no real originality. It also wouldn't be until 1969 that the Adidas Superstar, the first sneaker made out of leather, would be released. Puma decided to create a shoe to change the idea of what a sneaker would look like. The sneaker was designed by Heiko Desens and was released as an alternative to the "Puma Basket". [2]

Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos (right) showing the raised fist on the podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics. John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg
Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos (right) showing the raised fist on the podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

The same year of its release, the sneaker gained notoriety after U.S. Olympian Tommie Smith decided to take off his shoes and put them on the podium and raise his fist alongside John Carlos to protest racism and injustice against African Americans in the United States. [3]

The Puma Suede would be used by Puma decided to collaborate with basketball player, Walt Frazier, on a new show made specifically for him. The new shoe was called Puma Clyde, which was named after Walt Frazier's nickname, Clyde. [4] The 1980s saw the shoe become popular with the rise of breakdancing and see many b-boy groups wear the shoes thanks to it built quality making it easy to dance in that style. [5]

Today, the shoe is still worn by many celebrities and athletes and continues to play a prominent role in modern fashion. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Converse (brand)</span> American lifestyle brand owned by Nike, Inc

Converse is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adidas</span> German multinational clothing and apparel corporation

Adidas AG is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which also owns an 8.33% stake of the football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company. Adidas's revenue for 2018 was listed at €21.915 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneakers</span> Sport and casual shoes

Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puma (brand)</span> German clothing and consumer goods manufacturer

Puma SE is a German multinational corporation that designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. The company was founded in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974). In 1924, Rudolf and his brother Adolf "Adi" Dassler had jointly formed the company Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik. The relationship between the two brothers deteriorated until they agreed to split in 1948, forming two separate entities, Adidas and Puma. Following the split, Rudolf originally registered the newly established company as Ruda, but later changed the name to Puma. Puma's earliest logo consisted of a square and beast jumping through a D, which was registered, along with the company's name, in 1948. Puma's shoe and clothing designs feature the Puma logo and the distinctive "Formstrip" which was introduced in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Frazier</span> American basketball player (born 1945)

Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's only two championships, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Upon his retirement from basketball, Frazier went into broadcasting; he is currently a color commentator for telecasts of Knicks games on the MSG Network. In 1996, Frazier was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. In October 2021, Frazier was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Jordan</span> American brand by Nike

Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under the Jordan Brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Taylor All-Stars</span> Canvas and rubber shoes (sneakers)

Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars is a sneaker manufactured by Converse. Initially developed as a basketball shoe in the early 20th century, its design has remained largely unchanged since its introduction. The shoe consists of a stitched upper portion, and a toe cap and outsole usually made of rubber. Although Chuck Taylors are made of various materials such as leather or suede, the original and most widely known version is made from cotton canvas. The innovative detail of the original shoe was the "loose lining" of soft canvas that was intended to provide flexibility and prevent blisters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Air Max</span> Line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc.

Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.

Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding, 1980s nostalgia, and Japanese street fashion. Later, haute couture became an influence, and was in turn influenced by streetwear. Streetwear centers on comfortable clothing and accessories such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Brands may create exclusivity through intentional product scarcity; enthusiasts follow particular brands and try to obtain limited edition releases, including via proxy purchases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keds</span> American casual shoe brand

Keds is an American brand known for its canvas shoes with rubber soles. Founded in 1916 by U.S. Rubber, its original shoe design was the first mass-marketed canvas-top sneaker. The brand was sold to Stride Rite in 1979, which was acquired by Wolverine World Wide in 2012. Since February 2023, Keds has been owned and operated by Designer Brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adidas Samba</span> Athletic shoe by Adidas

Adidas Samba is an athletic shoe manufactured by German multinational Adidas. It was designed by Adidas Founder Adolf Dassler in 1949. It is among Adidas' most popular shoes, being the second highest selling Adidas design ever with over 35 million pairs sold worldwide, behind the Stan Smith model. It has been produced in a variety of color schemes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneaker collecting</span> Hobby of acquisition and trading sneakers

Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adidas Stan Smith</span> Tennis shoe by Adidas

Adidas Stan Smith is a tennis shoe made by Adidas, and first launched in 1965. Originally named "Adidas Robert Haillet" after the brand endorsed French prominent player Robert Haillet, in 1978 the sneakers were renamed after Stan Smith, an American tennis player who was active between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puma Clyde</span> Athletic shoe released in 1973

Puma Clyde is a line of shoes produced by Puma released in 1973. The shoe comes two models, a lifestyle model that is based on the original version and a basketball model which features all of the modern advancements and materials used in modern basketball shoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Air Yeezy</span> Footwear collaboration project by Nike and Kanye West

The Nike Air Yeezy is an official sneakers collaboration project between Nike and Kanye West, launched in 2009. Notable as the shoe brand's first non-athlete full collaboration, the project has released two editions: the "Air Yeezy" (2009) and the "Air Yeezy II".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Blazer</span> Third shoe released by Nike

Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nike Cortez</span> First track shoe released by Nike

The Nike Cortez is the first track shoe released by Nike in 1972, and is therefore thought to be a significant aspect to the success of the company. The Nike Cortez was first designed by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, aiming to produce a comfortable and durable running shoe for distance training and road running. The Nike Cortez was released at the peak of the 1972 Summer Olympics, and quickly gained interest by the general public. The shoe previously known as the Onitsuka Tiger Cortez was later renamed to the Onitsuka Tiger Corsair after Nike won a court battle to continue using name in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball uniform</span> Type of uniform worn by basketball players

A basketball uniform is a type of uniform worn by basketball players. Basketball uniforms consist of a jersey that features the number and typically the last name of the player on the back, as well as shorts and athletic shoes. Within teams, players wear uniforms representing the team colors; the home team usually wears a lighter-colored uniform, while the visiting team wears a darker-colored uniform.

Adidas Yeezy was a fashion collaboration between American rapper, designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West and German sportswear company Adidas. It offered sneakers in limited edition colorways, as well as shirts, jackets, track pants, socks, slides, lingerie and slippers. The first shoe model was released in February 2015. In 2020 Forbes described Yeezy's rise as "one of the great retail stories of the century". Yeezy influenced and inspired a multitude of other fashion brands. Outside of the former Adidas collaboration, Yeezy is the name of Kanye's company Yeezy LLC and is not connected to Adidas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adidas Campus</span> Line of shoes by Adidas

Adidas Campus is an athletic shoe created by Adidas that was released in the 1970s. The shoes were first released as basketball shoes before switching to lifestyle shoes. The unique design of the shoe helped make it popular as a chunkier alternative to Adidas' other sneakers.

References

  1. Flynn, Laura (2018-09-13). "Politics, Power, Rihanna: A Colourful History of the PUMA Suede". Acclaim Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  2. Scrafton, Lewis. "We Spoke to the Designer of the PUMA Suede on Why It's One of the Most Influential Sneakers of All Time". Complex . Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  3. "History of suede". Puma. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  4. "END.'s Puma Clyde OG Pack Celebrates 50 Years Of An Icon - Sneaker News". Sole Retriever. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  5. Soar, Kev (11 December 2020). "Why the Puma Suede Is a Sneaker for All Time". Highsnobiety . Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  6. "PUMA celebrates the return of Suede with the new Classic XXI". nss magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-19.