WACKY LACES - WORLD'S CRAZIEST SNEAKERS!

PUMA DISC CLOSURE SYSTEM
1994

Credit where credit is due. If there was a world championship for the most revolutionary lacing concept in history, PUMA would definitely hold the title. They’d probably take home silver and bronze as well, thanks to their ambitious Disc Closure System.

Named in honour of the plastic disc that featured front-and-centre on the tongue, the Disc system worked by retracting an internally enclosed series of wires tight around the foot, creating a snug fit for the wearer. Invented back in the early 90s, Disc was released with a vaguely hallucinogenic slogan that incited fans to ‘Turn it on!’ Some did, but the majority didn’t, as the somewhat clumsy and bulky Disc apparatus prevented it from reaching a mass market.

At least three generations of Disc were released over the years. The most successful model is the relatively well known Disc Blaze with the Trinomic sole, but crate digging through PUMA’s archives has also produced rarely seen variations including the Disc System Weapon (basketball) and the Disc Indoor Pro II (tennis). A track version was also worn by Olympic athletes, most notably by German long jumper Heike Drechsler.

Disc also made a surprising comeback in 2011 with the release of the Disc Blaze LTWT, a hybrid colab created with Japanese retailer Beams that fused PUMA’s lightweight FAAS sole unit with the Disc Blaze upper.