The PUMA Easy Rider's Return Relays 70s Nostalgia
While the landed in 1977 as a running shoe, the sleek silhouette soon established itself as a force in the fashion world before making a quiet exit from the mainstream. The Big Cat are now bringing it out of retirement to deliver a healthy dose of 70s nostalgia and offer a reminder that a good thing never dies.
Jogging was just starting to really take off as a hobby at the time the Easy Rider released, and as a result, running technology was going through an intense period of innovation. PUMA pounced on the opportunity to deliver a new, specially designed road running shoe, dialling up the comfort factor to cope with the shock of the solid surface underfoot. Developed alongside San Jose State University running coach Don Riggs, the Easy Rider landed after three years of testing, complete with a flurry of new advancements that would change the running game. Among them was a lifted wedge midsole that was designed to support the Achilles and reduce fatigue, along with a wider, reinforced shank for better arch support, heel counters for added stability, and a flexible forefoot for better toe-off. The Easy Rider’s most defining feature, however, was its unique Federbein outsole.
With its name translating to ‘shock absorber’, the Federbein unit is also affectionately referred to as the ‘Riggs’ outsole. Designed by Rudolf Dassler’s son, Armin, it is constructed of carefully arranged cones in two heights that work together to support the runner, prevent injury and prolong the life of the shoe. The taller cones aid traction and cushioning, as they have a little flex in them to squash down as the wearer runs, whereas the shorter cones are placed on the areas of the shoe that see more stress, acting like bumpers to prevent damage from high wear. Adam Pieters, Director of Product Line Management for PUMA’s Sportstyle Footwear Division, explains, ‘There was a big focus on how the foot was walking and then how the cones would squeeze to make sure that your foot is landing in the right position … that was groundbreaking technology for [back] then’. While the shoe’s function was the most important factor, the Easy Rider’s sole unit also has the benefit of looking good too. To quote Riggs himself, ‘The sole on the Easy Rider is going to make everyone sit up and take notice’. And that it did.
The no-nonsense silhouette caught the eye of football casuals in the 70s and 80s, quickly becoming part of the uniform for those who followed their favourite teams across Europe and sought status through buying never-before-seen sneakers. Its big fashion breakthrough came later though in 1998 when German designer and collaborator Jil Sander created the Easy Rider and PUMA King hybrid for her industry-changing, football-inspired colab. To convert the iconic football boot to a lifestyle model, Sander needed to combine the King's upper with a tooling that would work well. Being comfortable for the road and easy to wear, the Easy Rider was the obvious answer. The design merged fashion and sports for the first time, putting the Easy Rider in the history books for opening up the sport lifestyle market. In doing so, the Easy Rider had transcended the tarmac and was on track to become a future lifestyle classic.
Even though the Easy Rider had left runners behind, the Rider lineage continued to receive high praise from the running world. It soon became known as the ‘Great Cat Family’ and encompassed new developments such as the Fast Rider, which was designed for training and racing and saw small improvements for stability. Also following on from the Easy Rider’s legacy was the race-ready Lite Rider and the women’s Joy Rider, which was specially designed to fit the female foot, along with a couple of futuristic, fashion-forward versions of the Future Rider, Style Rider and Blktop Rider in the late 2010s. Most recently, it was nodded to by Rihanna, as the Jil Sander King, and by default the Easy Rider, served as the inspiration for the FENTY x PUMA Avanti in 2023.
Admittedly, PUMA may have more daring and fashion-forward silhouettes in the and , but as history proves, the Easy Rider isn't to be underestimated. Now back for 2024, the style holds up in both comfort and design, with the model’s nylon and suede uppers fitting into the existing retro runner and terrace shoe revival. The storied staple made its grand return last month and we expect it to stick around for a good while.