Memories - Puma "Clyde"

Clyde... the glide... gliding and sliding in colorful suede!

I was in college when Puma began getting my attention in the sneaker market. Walt Frazier of the New York Knicks (his nickname: "Clyde") grinned at prospective customers from the end of the box.

However, I would have preferred to call these sneakers "Slide." As I have pointed out in my section on sneaker outsoles, the Puma "Clyde" suede, "Basket" leather, (and a number of other models) used a square grid pattern. These are just not as slip-resistant as some of the other sneaker designs.

In one case, this was definitely a "felony shoe." In Houston (Harris County, Texas, USA), in 1994, a store security guard was fatally shot while apprehending a customer caught in the act of shoplifting a new pair of Puma suede sneakers. As I remember the news reports, the culprit got a lifetime trip to Huntsville, but escaped the executioner.

Colors that were produced at one time or another include the following (sorted by body color/formstrip color):

• Black
  • Natural suede
  • Red
  • Royal blue
  • Purple
  • Silver
• Light tan
  • Orange
• Brown
  • Tan
• Red
  • Natural suede
  • Black
  • Monochromatic red
• Gold
  • Black
• Orange
  • Blue
• Green
  • Natural suede
  • Yellow
• Blue
  • Natural suede
  • Red
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Monochromatic blue
  • Gray
• Gunmetal gray
  • Red
• 40% gray
  • Monochromatic gray

In Australia, this design is sometimes called the "Puma States."

Later on... a high-top version:

This is what Puma calls the "Suede Mid" but it is definitely a high-top (they're just as high as a pair of Chucks) measured on the inside.

Puma "Clyde" in 2005:

Puma announced that they will reissue the Clyde (complete with the "Clyde" name foil-stamped on the side like they were way back when) in limited-edition versions in July 2005. These will have extremely limited distribution: 1000 total pairs, 40 retailers worldwide. Puma was expected to issue additional colorways in wider distribution during October 2005 and December 2005.

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Last Updated: 21 February 2017

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