WALT 'CLYDE' FRAZIER x PUMA FEATURE

How did the endorsement come about?
PUMA wanted to enter into basketball and Walt Fraziers style and personality was a great fit with the brand. So in 1973 PUMA approached Walt Frazier and made a custom-tailored version of the Suede specifically for him, with a wider last and his name stamped in gold block letters and the Clyde was born.

The renowned extra-wide shape of the Clyde... Was that solely due to the shape of his own foot?
Yes. The Clyde was custom-made to his specifications and shaped for his foot with a wider last for comfort. The original colors referenced his game jerseys and his name was stamped in gold on the upper.

The PUMA ads from the era talk about Clyde playing it cool. How important was his reputation to the sneakers being cool as well?
That was the era when they were inventing personalities. Clyde was the original hipster and we felt that the athlete should be known as much off the court as on the court. His persona created the Clyde mystique, the luxury suede material and color stories added to the allure. Many athletes were courageous and team-oriented, but it was rare back then to have one personality that purposefully stuck out.

At what point did PUMA realise that kids who weren't really ballers, but were more into breakin, graffiti and hip-hop would pick up on it so heavily?
We are talking about a time when sportswear became fashionable. Breakin and graffiti were the youth culture movements at the time. They picked up on sportswear because of the look, but also partially because of the price points and accessibility of the products. The suede finish was critical to the shoe’s popularity and the color variations probably more so. Leather is leather, but suede basketball sneakers were just over the top enough to be cool at the time.