PUMA Canvas Super

• MODEL: PUMA CANVAS SUPER
• MADE IN: CHINA
• MADE ON: --/97
• ART.NO: 340830-07
• FACTORY: CMC / 0197

PUMA lovers far and wide have one typical trait in common: appreciation of the material quality and design aesthetic that the brand bestows into their releases. And this isn’t anything new, they’ve been doing it for decades.

Here’s the funny thing though: when it comes to packaging, it’s questionable what kind of company PUMA really is. It’s common knowledge that most of the large shoe manufacturers continue to develop over-sized, elaborate, or otherwise flashy boxes that undoubtedly please the purchaser while simultaneously destroying the environment. Not PUMA. With their more recent invention of the ‘Clever Little Bag’ they’ve gone quite Eco-friendly.

Whether or not sneaker aficionados agree with the move is a whole ‘nother story. It’s not exactly like we’re some tree-hugging greenies to begin with (what with our collections in the twenties, or thirties, or hundreds, or whatever other outlandishly unnecessary number they may be), and we all got different views and preferences. One thing is certain though: many folks wanna see PUMA bring back the vintage green box (in fact there is an entire website dedicated to precisely this phrase).

Shared with you here is a pair of PUMA Canvas Super’s from 1997 that were sold in the (maybe lesser known) black and green ‘Turn It On’ box that is reminiscent of the ’90s. Boxes such as these pretty much mark the end of what most collectors would consider the vintage era, and although arguably the ’80s, ’70s, and ’60s releases are the primary focus of what people mean when they say ‘vintage trainers’, I personally fit the ’90s nicely into this category as well.

Since their original drop in the mid-90s, these Canvas Super’s have yet to be retro’d even a single time, so they’re considered quite rare to come by. Released in a variety of colorways, and at least eight that we’ve seen (including black and white from ’95, white and red from ’96, ‘port’ red and yellow from ’97, ‘cobalt’ blue and orange from ’96, clay brown and white from ’95, a light tan pair from ’95, and some light blue and purple samples from who knows when), it’s almost as though PUMA knew these were to be a hit.

From all those who love their Suedes and Clydes and States, we’ve only ever heard one common complaint about the Canvas Super: the stitching. It’s a bit on the bulky side and definitely doesn’t hold the subtly that the other, above-mentioned models do. Beyond that though, there’s no shaking a finger at this silhouette with their comfy textile uppers, creatively embroidered branding, and most likely purely aesthetic ventilation eyelets along the medial midsole. Simply superb.

written by Dylan Cromwell

photography by errol

shoes contributed by Fritze