WALT 'CLYDE' FRAZIER x PUMA FEATURE

There are a few other American athletes who came to mind as I had a fresh look at the meaning of Clyde. Muhammad Ali is one, especially when it comes to the ability to lyrically flow. The other of course is Michael Jordan. How do you see his influence in comparison to these other great characters?
NG: Frazier isn’t quite the global figure of Ali and Jordan, but his style definitely affected his generation. Perhaps if he’d been born a little later, when the marketing of sneakers had evolved, he would have more of a Jordan-like aura.

How did a very plain-looking single colour suede sneaker become an icon of the street and idolised by the street kids, breakers, painters, and b-boys?
NG: The Clyde was a sneaker whose essential elegance was obvious the minute you saw it. It had a smooth quality that matched Frazier’s game to a tee. Moreover, the suede texture and multiple colors made it possible to wear the sneaker with a number of different outfits.
I remember it as the first sneaker you could coordinate with different outfits. The suede texture made it feel dressy and fly in a way no canvas sneaker did.

The Puma ads from the era talk about Clyde ‘playing it cool’ and showing a lack of emotion on court. How important was this to the connection with the sneakers being ‘cool’ as well?
Cool has gone out of style lately. So much street culture is about loudness just as so many ball players think screaming after a dunk is a statement. But in his era, when understatement was respected, cool was something you aspired to and Clyde had cool for days.