PUMA States x Solebox theLIST

• MODEL: PUMA STATES
• SERIES: PUMA THELIST
• PACK: PUMA STATES X SOLEBOX 10TH ANNIVERSARY PACK
• TYPE: BASKETBALL
• DESIGNED BY: Solebox
• MADE IN: CHINA
• MADE ON: 11/12
• LIMITED TO 100 PAIRS
• ART.NO: 355013 03
• FACTORY: FTWDM / FCNDT

From mega sneaker store Size?, to the Shadow Society itself, the PUMA States is a silhouette that really gets around. And if you’re after another good collab, then you’d likely land on Solebox next.

Who can forget those ‘nightshade’, ‘prism’ violet, and ‘whisper’ kicks in all their purple lusciousness back in 2006. And we certainly saw those striking crystal gray’s in 2011 with a hungry, admiring eye. Even now, in 2013, PUMA continues to push their States model forward in what may appear to be the easiest of methods: new colorway variations.

Sure, one might say simply adding another combination of colors doesn’t give merit to a plethora of re-releases, and it must be noted that while Solebox pushes the envelope a bit with a formstripe of snakeskin, this detailing is hardly something new in the trainer scene. In fact we explained quite clearly in our piece about the black pair of States why this simplistic design really wins out of other, overly loud, unnecessarily flashy, and typically unrealistically high-priced sneakers.

But it’s not just Solebox’s hand at work here. It’s the States themselves. Such a clean, simple, and easy (not in the sense of difficulty, mind you, but in the sense of easy-going, stress-less, dreamlike even) personality for a shoe to pronounce. I personally believe that’s the power behind the States and I think this rings true when one looks around and stays alert to who is buying and wearing pairs such as these: down to earth folks.

Critics could easily state that down to earth doesn’t build a million dollar corporation, and we can’t claim to speak on PUMA’s success over the last however many quarters, but we can say that personality and praise are directly linked, certainly in the consumer world, and especially in the eyes of every sneaker connoisseur we’ve come across in our trainer jaunts and journeys.

As a part of Solebox’s pack to mark their 10th anniversary working with PUMA, these states were by far my personal favorite due to the color choice which is interesting in and of itself. I’ve always been fascinated and slightly obsessed with the naming conventions sneaker (and other street fashion) companies tend to choose for their hues, and the ‘ermine’ brown of this pair eluded me incredibly. With light research I concluded that it was probably taken from the ermine or stoat, which is better explained as a short-tailed weasel. However, upon deeper research I saw that heraldic furs (or, in modern day human terms, patterns used to decorate a coat of arms) were created by the same name in honor of and mimicking the tail of such a creature.

I guess for me, the soft suede leather, thick, tough, comfortable walls, quality – almost sticky – snakeskin, and dual company lace jewels (one fashioning the brand and the other the boutique) of this pair really reach out to me in an honorable way. The blacks were far too ‘safe’ and the gray’s, while nice, were the pair that everyone wanted. After all, with the States being a variation of the Clyde, which was originally a custom-widened version of the Suede, this silhouette is about nothing if it’s not about one’s own unique, personal, and honorable self-expression.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol