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]
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]
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]
