PUMA Clyde

• MODEL: PUMA CLYDE
• MADE IN: TAIWAN
• MADE ON: --/91
• ART.NO: 10116 / 4
• FACTORY: THC

With a long and illustrious history the PUMA Clyde will go down as one of shoe makers’ most iconic and popular silhouettes. In 1973 basketballer Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier asked for a wider version of the PUMA Suede he’d been wearing whilst playing for the New York Knicks. PUMA didn’t turn down his request and not only gave him a shoe but signed him to one of the NBA’s first endorsement deals.

The Clyde sports a wider and lower frame than its predecessor, the Suede. The sneaker also features a longer toebox but the most striking feature is the gold ‘Clyde’ imprinted onto each shoe. A signature feature referencing Frazier’s nickname.

This particular colourway is one of the most sought after and rare Clyde’s. The scarlet of the body is a lot deeper shade of red than many other colourways of the shoe. The gold laces are a rare feature for a Clyde and the black midsole completes the silhouette. By the time this colourway was released in the early 90′s the Clyde had already passed the twenty years of age mark. However colourways like this show that PUMA still had a lot of creativity left in their labs.

The monochromatic scarlet of this Clyde paved the way for the colourways of the Suede ‘Eco Pack’ that came in 2011; the black midsole’s influence can be seen in the Suede ‘Gum Sole Pack’ of 2010 and in PUMA’s latest ‘Eco Pack’ of 2012.

The Clyde today is an icon of many different scenes. PUMA enthusiasts, fans of the old school, b-boys and breakers, and hip hop music fans alike all recognize the shoe as a sneaker that lives up to the word classic in every way. From the basketball court to the b-boy crew, to just walking up the street, whether in its Clyde form or its original Suede shape, PUMA’s very likeable silhouette has stood the test of time.

written by Sam Arojo

photography by errol

shoes contributed by Fritze