PUMA Unknown
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Every so often while trawling the Internet for images, digging through crates in an attic or vintage store or hoping to find a badly listed auction; one may come across an unknown yet special looking shoe. This is one of those rare occasions, as the specific name of this shoe is as of yet still a mystery. It’s instances like this that highlight how vast the PUMA archive and back catalogue is.
The vintage pair which was manufactured on West Germany shares many characteristics with models from the 1970’s and 80’s. The shoe which these resemble the most are thr PUMA Hellas, and even that model very little is know about. That paticular model had an orange upper with black formstrip. It’s build and details are almost identical but on this pair PUMA decided against stamping the models name on the shoe, unlike with the Hellas.
The upper of the shoe utilities a green suede with a slight hint of turquoise which is offset by the orange formstrip, laces and leather lining. It’s a selection of colours which gives them a fresh appeal which hasn’t been replicated on any other shoe. It’s a colourway that would definitely go down well if applied to one of the many other PUMA silhouettes. The tongue label highlights its vintage age with the style of leaping cat and the fact that it also has its eye. This is something only seen with very early shoes, as after this the cat was completely solid and filled In.
It’s possible that the name of this model may never be know. Whether that be the case or not shoes such as these should never be forgotten. Not only for the fact that someone out there must know about them but there’s also no reason why PUMA couldn’t bring it back from the brink of obsolete and give It the to recognition it deserves.
Photography: errol
Text: Professor B
