Puma Is Launching A Collection In Honor Of Black History Month
In 2016, Puma celebrated the legacy of Olympic runner Tommie Smith. Smith is a legend for his performance at the 1968 Summer Olympics—when receiving a gold medal, he and teammate John Carlos lifted their fists in a symbol of Black Power. And now, they’re taking on another iconic athlete: legendary baller Walter “Clyde” Frazier, who’s both one of the greatest players of all time, and the NBA’s best dressed player ever (his suits are everything).
On January 13th, the company released two editions of the Clyde sneaker. One version, the Bball, is rendered in leather, complete with little gold eyelets symbolizing basketball trophies. The other version, the Wool, is designed to represent high school lettermen’s jackets. It comes in blue and gold, the colors of Clyde’s high school, Atlanta’s David T. Howard School. The school has since closed, but it boasted another pretty legendary alumnus: Dr. Martin Luther King.
In February, PUMA will also be launching accompanying Clyde apparel, in addition to more footwear. They’re dropping slim-cut sweats and tees, designed for both men and women, designed in period-appropriate style (Clyde graduated high school in the early sixties). They’re coming out with three additional sneakers: the Ignite, which features blue and gold knitted cuffs, the Sky II High in blue leather, and the Clyde, which features a white leather upper portion and a blue leather stripe and comes in both mens and womens.
Clyde was eager to represent his alma mater. “I’m deeply honored to be an alumnus of the David T. Howard school,” he told Puma. “The institution fostered the growth of some of our nation’s brightest leaders and I feel this collection captures the essence of that and what the school did for so many.”