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Yo! MTV Raps Videos by Puma x VIMBY
Puma first got down with MTV celebrating the music network’s 20th birthday with two special make ups of the Yo! MTV Raps Clydes. The pink colorway dropped at Classic Kicks in NYC, but the green color was only distributed amongst those “who know somebody, who know somebody”.
Puma and VIMBY have gotten together to put together a series of webisodes to document the golden era of hip hop. In the first of a five part collaboration between VIMBY and PUMA, Fab 5 Freddy, the original host of Yo! MTV Raps, discusses the beginnings of hip hop and introduces some of the names that changed the game forever. School is in session.
Puma Disc Blaze and First Round “Tetris Pack”
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Puma’s lab created something incredible with the Puma Disc System. For decades, slip-on and laceless sneakers had been available, but the age old problem was getting them to stay on your feet. The Disc Blaze was the solution to the dilemma. As one turns the Disc, the shoe tightens to the wearer’s foot, but its patented locking system prevented the shoe from losing the support. The invention was such a success that Puma used it in other sneakers including ones designed for tennis and cross training. The Disc Blaze returns in colors and patterns one would have expected to see in 1992 when the shoe original debuted. Coming along for the ride is a pair of the First Rounds which have also made a big return in the past year. The collection is dubbed the “Tetris Pack” because of the geometric shapes in a repeating patter on the sneaker. The Puma “Tetris Pack” has just started arriving at retail doors for release, but one color up of the Disc Blaze and the First Round was made available online at Puma.com. |
Cheech Wizard “Goes to Berlin”
 Puma and Overkill have teamed up to present “Cheech Wizard Goes to Berlin” to celebrate the release of the Vaughn Bode “Cheech Wizard” Puma Basket II. The shoes release worldwide next month officially on May 17th. Mark Bode, son of Vaughn Bode, the artist who created Cheech Wizard 51 years ago, will be there live to do live art as well as signings. To get more info in English and German, get the full scoop at Overkill. |
No Mas x Puma First Round Lottery “Seattle”
 The NBA Draft Lottery gave the Seattle Sonics the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 draft; however, their first round selection of Kevin Durant was not enough to bring the team even close to a winning season in his first year. Sadly, a somewhat storied NBA franchise is on the verge of moving from where it has called home since the team’s inception in 1967. On a positive not, what looks to be its last home game was a 95-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Puma and No Mas have collaborated on a series of First Rounds since last summer but more recently on NBA inspired make ups including LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, NY Knicks, and these, Seattle Sonics. Highlights of the sneakers include a green and yellow colorway with a white on white leather with embroidered lottery balls, three sets of laces with “No Mas” branding on the lace tips and the outsole. The shoes will be released in the Sonics current hometown of Seattle tomorrow, April 30th at Goods. Info thanks to High Snobiety. GOODS |
Puma Clyde Leather Collection
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Puma has called upon the Clyde for collabs and limited edition make ups since it was brought back in 2005, but this time around Puma is letting the Clyde take it easy and represent its original style with rich leathers in true two-toned classics. Much like Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s swagger, the shoes sport luxury while staying “live” much like Frazier’s Rolls Royce with white walled tires. Though amongst sneakerheads Frazier is best remembered for the shoes he wore in the league, one should not forget what made those kicks so special besides their simplistic style. Frazier came into the NBA after leading Southern Illinois to an NIT Championship. At the time the NIT was seen as prestigious as an NCAA tourney as there was little nationwide coverage of the sport, but the NIT was played in New York City giving young players plenty of exposure. Drafted by the Knicks in ‘65 it was only a few years before New York got their first NBA title in 1970 and then only three years later in 1973. The leather Clydes are currently available in three colors, Black, Red Clay, and Dusk Blue, at Bingo Runner. Stay tuned for more toned down appearances of the Clyde this year. |
Sneaker Freaker Puma Blaze of Glory
 When getting the great opportunity to work with Puma on a co-brand collab, Woody and the Sneaker Freaker team opted for something different and untouched. Since the Clyde has been drafted for almost every recent Puma collab and many of the other models have been seen, the finger pointed to the Puma Blaze of Glory - a silhouette that has not been seen in ages since its release in the early 90’s. True a few pairs of the Blaze of Glory did release last fall, I am confident this special make up with Sneaker Freaker will give the shoe the relevancy to culture it deserves.
The Puma Blaze of Glory was much ahead of its time in terms of design, but still held characteristics of late 80’s runner flare. The shoe fits almost like a sock hardly even needing any laces. Something else that is worth noting is that the shoe does not have any branding on the side or upper except for a small Puma logo on the back of the shoe which is sure to cause people to ask even more questions about them. Lastly, the shoes featured the cushioning seen Disc Blaze - Trinomic. This cushioning system is an interlocking network of hexagonal cells designed to yield maximum support and stability on impact. For this shoe the system extends under the entire foot making for a very comfortable shoe. The Sneaker Freaker Puma Blaze of Glory released at shops world wide today, but to just 6 stores in North America. View the full list and more detailed shots of the shoes at Sneaker Freaker. |
Vaughn Bode Puma Basket II “Cheech Wizard”
 Last spring saw the overwhelmingly successful releases of two styles of the Vaughn Bode “Cheech Wizard” Puma Clydes coming first in classic Cheech colors and the second in a stripped down grey tone version. This spring the Wiz is back, but this time on three pairs of the Puma Basket II.
This time around the multi-color, repeating star print is reserved for the lining of the shoes while the exterior stays one color. Adding extra artistic elements to the exterior, Puma used glossy painted stars on the uppers to add the touch of Cheech Wizards hat while still keeping the shoe one color. These have released in Japan at Mita, but stay tuned for US release info. Pics thanks to Hype Beast. |
