Want proof? Just roll your clock back to 2009 when adidas Originals’ Consortium team pushed out the “Your City” pack, featuring twelve City Series silhouettes, each handed to a separate, independent sneaker shop for their own chance to clothe it as they see fit. Only one design stipulation stood outlined from adidas: each team must incorporate at least one color from the OG version of the shoe in their retro re-make.

We love the City Series shoes but always found them funny in one way, and that is each one (beyond the sometimes significant colorways) barely represents its corresponding city in any literal or even abstract fashion. When focused on Berlin, the one thing we’ve learned over the last half decade here is that the city never sleeps, and much like other ever-awake metropolises – such as New York – it has a bustling underbelly that is ripe with obscure, original, and downright out-there orchestrations going on.

Not only has Hikmet and his team incorporated the original “dawn” (or “powder”) blue of the vintage version into their re-release, but they’ve pushed it a step further by actually hiding the entire OG design within the confines of the inner lining. You probably don’t get what we mean: take the upper of the OG Berlin and flip it inside out and use it as the interior of the Solebox Berlin, including the side stripes and even the gold lettering that rides the last line of perforations on the lateral side (which, like the outer wall, reads “solebox” instead of “Berlin”).

As if that isn’t clever enough how they’ve snuck in the entire original design, Solebox goes even further by throwing their own twist on the shoe with some quality mesh and synthetic suede to make up the body. The leather tongue and heel patch are incredibly lush, overwhelmingly comfortable, and the extra thin, gold-tipped laces are a fantastic touch. Finally the entire congregation of greatness is laid atop a sturdy and – even more importantly – classic gum out sole. Yum, or as they say here in Berlin, “lecke!”

Speaking of the city, these parallel it perfectly. Solid, humble, reliable, and sat atop a down-to-earth foundation that is familiar to all, providing support to an ever-evolving, yet still quite lean, artistic, mysterious, magical, and classy city, though most vividly remembered (at least for those to who cared to look) by its astonishingly authentic and original interior, which is hidden well enough to keep out the masses, though truly reflects the outside at its core. These are simply put, one of the most accurate renditions of a shoe that could be called ‘Berlin’ that we’ve ever seen.

Fair enough, this is opinion and not fact, though I’ve yet to see another one of PUMA’s high top basketball shoes from as far back as 1987 (the year that the pair pictured here were produced) still get remembered in today’s incredibly over-saturated sneaker market. The PUMA Cat has survived the test of time economically, and physically as well, standing strong, fresh out of the box, even twenty-five years after its initial production.

This is thanks to the simple rubber sole, stitched well to the solid leather upper, layered around the toe, under the eyestays, and around the heel for extra support. Even some of the eyelets themselves are reinforced with oblong bits of metal rimming to protect them and provide the wearer with a faster, easier lace up. The tongue and ankle collar are extremely comfortable as well and if any downside were to be cast upon these ’87 relics, it’d be the color coating on the center of the tongue (black here), which seems to becoming a wee bit sticky over the years. Still, compared to the aging artifacts and hideous chemistry experiments of some shoes, it’s a wonder that these held up so well.

Or is it simply the solid West German design, boasted proudly on the front of the tongue? Don’t be mistaken though, these were certainly manufactured overseas in Korea, and when in doubt one can flip that very same tongue for confirmation.

Production and age aside, what is it about the Cat model that made it leap so far? It has to be the single most creative (and risky) feature appearing on the trainer: the leaping cat from the back of the heel across the upper side wall, pressed in a durable, synthetic, foam material. This is branding at its finest, when a company literally builds their logo into the structure of the shoe. Now, mind you, we realize this is done in some fashion by every brand, and almost with every release for some models, but for PUMA this was a huge step in a louder direction, and not only do we commend them for it, we’re grateful, as this single design choice is arguably what made the Cat model survive today.

Embued with the power of Dynaprene, it’s a better shot than PU soles that this pair will survive despite its original birthday in 1992. The idea behind Dupont’s exclusive sole system is to provide ‘a softer, more cushioned feel while maintaining the stability of conventional midsole materials’. That combined with the Torsion technology makes this shoe actually quite advanced when it comes to outsole features.

But truth be told, what we love most about this shoe isn’t the tech, it’s simply how damn hideous it is. Starting from the interestingly shaped and sculpted Dynaprene sole unit – which not only bares the Torsion bar but also a bunch of bubbly tread patterns in the heel, forefoot, and toe areas – up to this ridiculous upper that boasts a variety of textures, patterns, shapes, and colors. The layering itself is beyond silly, even the bright blue and black checkering is obnoxious, and then combined with a paling neon orange and blotchy, movie-makeup purple their overall colorway leaves one meer inches from puking.

Yet somehow we still dig ‘em. Call it points for being unique, if you need some tangible validation. And the ankle collar is the most interesting – being the only anatomical difference from their low-cut running siblings – given some funky plastic eyelets under which a puffy, sculpted, foam oval sits, punched with fake perforations for apparently no reason at all. Further, inside of the collar there’s a heel pillow that matches the tongue and is surprisingly comfy, proving the shoes certainly had a little bit of common sense design and innovation instilled in them.

Incredibly rare today, if you should come across these in their hideous hues (or even better, the white and blue low version) you’d be best to nab up ‘em quick.

Estimated to originate from the late 1970s, this pair was made in Yugoslavia, so it goes without saying that their quality are of a superior standard. Given their age, to have them in such good condition all these years later is something rarely seen with shoes from any brand. The rich red suede upper is offset with a royal blue Formstripe and matching liner. Their molded tongue is similar to that seen on the PUMA Dallas from the same time period.

The Stenzel name which differentiates these from the other Firebirds is taken from Yugoslavia Handball player Vlado Stenzel. The highly successful player had his own range of training clothing, signature Stenzel Coach and his face on the tongue on the PUMA Handball Spurt shoe. It was quite common for PUMA to endorse various top athletes from various sports and give them their own shoes. Just like Udo Lattek had a shoe which was almost identical to the PUMA Dallas; the Stenzel Firebirds were almost an exact replica of the regular Firebirds.

The shoe which was a popular favourite amongst the Terraced and 80s Casual sub-cultures still retains its cult following and admiration. One of the reasons that they’re still held in such high regard is that since the originals were first seen they’ve yet to be re-issued. Whether it was the Firebirds or these Stenzel Firebirds, we can safely say that if they were to be re-released they’d be welcomed with opened arms.

The most obvious contrast that comes to mind is the other Yugoslavian pair we posted which is actually a Te-Ku 80. Immediately one can notice that the sole unit is pretty different and the suede toe guard isn’t represented.

But a more trained eye is required when comparing this pair to the these West German Te-Ku’s we showed off in the past. For those two almost everything is identical except for the FOT (PUMA’s own proprietary name for the heel hit that frequently features their leaping cat icon) which is done up in suede, and the puma silhouette there as well as the model name lettering across the lateral side wall both shine bright in gold foil.

Why post the same shoe if the only changes are so minute that can easily be overlooked? It’s the history that we’re interested in and discovering many models and their various variations is how we ‘fill in the gaps’ of time to get an overall picture of the brand’s life. That and we’re simply addicted to this just like any of the other sad, sneaker souls out in there in game these days. Either way, enjoy the vintage pair pictured here and don’t forget they’re rather rare so if you like what you see then you’d better keep your eyes peeled for a pickup in your size.

Funnily enough, even though it’s the 25th Anniversary of the ZX 9000, 8000, and 5000, this pair doesn’t seem to make the cut for that pack, not only landing itself a lesser spotlight but also not achieving whatever status a sneaker is presumed to have in order for it receive the ‘M’ model upgrade character in its name. All of the rest of the 25th Anniversary pack pairs are also apparently based on the inverted colorways of past releases, many of them being heavily iconic or re-issued in a plethora (take the well known “aqua” 8000s for example). Do these fit that mold as well?

The answer is: sort of. If you twist the colors to their exact polar opposites you’ll get a white base with red contrasting bits and some blue highlights here and there. From a quick glance backwards one can immediately relate this to the experimentally mesh net heavy pair that was released in 2011, but the match isn’t as on point as the other 25th Anniversary (‘M’ stamped) pairs were to their inspirational past relatives.

There’s no clues from adidas either as to why these weren’t paired up with the rest, or what the missing ‘M’ might mean, but for now, that’s really not so relevant to the average runner-lovers huntings. If you dig the hues then scoop ‘em up while they last, as they’re already off pre-order and available in stores at the time of this article being written (late January, early February, 2014).

Quality white leather with a blood red suede Formstripe stretching across their lateral and medial sides, the overall design is smooth, simple, and majestic. Nicely cut collar at the top with a low back thats led up to by a thin leather strip and pull tab for a easier on and off of ‘em. Their inner lining is comfortable and well perforated and the tongue has a wonderfully rounded shape, embroidered with their logo in a matching red.

Besides the pair pictured here (which is relatively unknown even with a hefty web search) we’ve also seen a couple other colorways such as a white on black pair, and the infamous white on blue pair complete with gold foil spelling out their (potential) model name: Schattenboxen. Literally translated to mean “Shadow Boxing”. What a fucking cool name!

Finer details include the good foil branding on their lateral sides and super long eyestay strips that feature thirteen slits for the laces to slide through. There’s also a lace stay in the tongue to keep it in place though we’ve opted out from doing that up here. Funny part is that the eyestay strips are two piece… wonder if that was a production problem to build them out of one piece.

But the truly funny story here lies in the hidden details; the three leather vertical stripes sliding down behind the Formstripe. Can anyone say brotherly copyright infringement? Cheeky PUMA, cheeky.

But then again isn’t that exactly what the name entails? In fact, these 2004 retros really speak to that truth, showing off the fluffy lining, fat-tongued, overly-branded, and shining gold silhouette that truly is the Ecstasy in its best nature. And you can’t miss with those unbelievably gaudy laces!

Comfort is surely supported here, and as for durability, when it comes to my sport – street-dancing – these are some seriously sturdy sneakers, considering that the pair pictured here is quite used and still running strong even a decade later. Are there design flaws? Sure, as with many great sneakers there are a variety of areas that could be improved, mostly just the outrageous colorway and overtly large upper layers that blast into the focus of onlookers without concern for discretion. But in general these are neck breakers and definitely worth a bargain cop, if you should ever have the chance.

That’s right. We’re talking about the PUMA Suede. You all likely know it well even if you’re not a Suede-head, even if you’re not a PUMA purists, shit even if you’re not really into sneakers to begin with. It’s like the shell-toe or Allstar, it’s an iconic treasure of that golden era that many of us old enough to memory lust after and those of us too young to have actually experienced still imagine vividly somehow. The Suede is just pure historical iconography.

Or is it? Because after all, it’s the Basket that began it for PUMA on the courts and underneath the hoops. It was a go-to, leather low-cut that just out-performed the rest in not only athletic usage, but durability (which this vintage Yugoslavian version certainly shows off in its robust and barely aged-looking form), and – possibly more important of all – street style. But how old is this relic of PUMA’s past? Well with the Suede being reported as a follow-up release in ’68 it’s safe to say the basket has been around for nearly fifty years!

No joke, this ‘turnschuh’ (as they’re referred to in PUMA’s native tongue of German) has taken it’s turn, time and time again in the hands and on the feet of so many types of people, from players to professionals to plainer product lovers that likely didn’t even know their name. And how more unoriginal could a model name get, basically a shortened version of the exact sport they were built for.

In the end, though, that’s the exact ingredient in their magical, timeless flavor: complete simplicity. It worked for the Suede so why wouldn’t it work for the identical – albeit leather – Basket as well? Keep ‘em simple, keep ‘em clean, and keep ‘em coming PUMA, because as far as we can tell, you haven’t even begun to run the full life cycle of this silhouette yet.

Never heard of the Hikelander? We’re not surprised. Haven’t heard of its vintage relative, the Badlander, either? Still not surprised. Not only are these just uniquely ugly in some people’s perspectives (though, honestly, we rather dig them ourselves) but they reside in a genre of footwear that one doesn’t frequently approach while browsing the available bounties within the so-called sneaker game. And that’s the area of outdoor gear. Hiking boots, trail shoes, and good old aquatic slip-ons.

What we have hear is a deliciously tricked out tribute to the past. The adidas Performance line gave birth to a series of similar silhouettes known mostly as the Badlander back in the day, and their main distinctive feature was the lace covering held down by a series of loops and hooks. The overall look was one that could easily have been imagined on the foot of forest folk, elves, or even Ewoks, or other enchanted and eco-friendly fellows. It’s not that the overall appearance is so vegan, it’s that the shoe itself has a moccasin-like, earthy tone to it. The colorways were typically monochromatic and particularly plain, albeit bright at times. The shape of the bumpy silhouette stood out as well, reminding us largely of the entire Feet You Wear line (in fact the Badlander is known for providing this sole unit feature as well) and other EQT obscenities that we relish in as we dig through the crates of vintage over here at eatmoreshoes.

Looking back it’s evident that there were at least some mid (or high?) and low cut versions and adidas Originals took their cues from the higher of those two to deliver a more street-stylish version of the Badlander, now known as the Hikelander. Differences largely reside around the sole unit itself, currently bestowed with the power of the Torsion bar, and absent of the funkified flavor that clung to the Feet You Wear releases. They’re crispy, though the materials somehow feel mildly cheap and the shoe is extremely lightweight, leaving one to wonder if it’s all that protective against the elements (we highly doubt these are waterproof in any way).

Design-wise they’ve obviously took some hints from Kazuki Kuraishi and other modern day movers by applying a much more shape-conscious structure, pretty intelligent colorway choices (the black and yellow pair pictured here were accompanied by a burgundy set as well), and minor detailing around the shoe that sets it apart. Their blue tongue labels, sockliners, and lace tips suggest a membership within the more recent a.039 (read that as ‘royal blue’) collection however we can’t confirm this one hundred percent for now.

The resurrection of history didn’t stop at these, though, as a snow version was pushed out too, however in a form far too puffy for us. And finally, the wonderfully insane artistry from Y-3 included a ferocious release in 2012 known as ‘Le Savage’ in white, silver, and bits of black that was supposed to be a higher class take on the classic EQT Badlander. Crazy experimental releases aside, if you dig something lightweight and original than pick these up from Originals as we doubt many ‘heads will know what they are. Just beware, they’re actually harder to come by these days than they should be, but having stumbled upon your pair you’ll likely pay a discounted price for them considering their lack of fame.