crooked tongues magazine News Features

The PUMA Clyde's's been through a few incarnations since that glut of them a few years back. Despite the power of the shoe (we still think Solebox absolutely nailed it on then collaboration front) we've always put it behind the Suede in our affections because that slender silhouette and big fit on the 2005 Clyde reissues meant we had to do some sizing maths before purchase (a whole size down). The Suede and States resonate with us Brits via the 'Beat Street' effect and on their resurrection when the notion of wearing suede basics again seemed novel.

PUMA have been delivering the good stuff again lately after we got a little jaded with excess thematic wackiness on a shoe that we believe to be a design classic — if a Clyde, States or Suede isn't in your all-time top ten, we question your selection process. It's an efficient, brilliant design, but we've always treated the Formstripe as an integral part of the shoe. After all, it's hardly a busy design, is it?

Take that branding off and does the shoe retain its identity? We've seen tonal versions before, but these four courtesy of Undefeated strip it down completely. They make the PUMA Referee look downright fancy by comparison. Where the west coast titan’s Suede Mids a couple of years ago emphasised the stripe with a plusher, leather execution, these 'Stripe-Off' variations let the silhouette do its own thing without the familiar branding. If you know Undefeated, then you know that they can work a concept and are in the trinity of collaboration kings who can deliver across brands without always falling back on a single defining feature. Their stark, smart branding hasn't dated since the early '00s debut of the store and with that brown leather heel tab and tongue, these feel like a sequel of sorts to the Rod Lavers from 2008.

Changing the heel height, adding wicking properties if you want to wear them in no-socks mode without stinking out a five-street radius and adding some soft leather makes these a genuinely premium option. Where the shoe really lost points before was in that floppy toebox. Even great leather (including reindeer leather) creased within seconds on earlier projects, so the added reinforcement means the Clyde is a little more built to last.

The higher end has been taking a fair amount of inspiration from some old favourites, so it's nice to see those brands retaliate without losing their dignity. The gold print gets the message across to evade total anonymity, and the placement of the classic Clyde heel tab inside the heel rather than outside is a nice touch too. None of these four will send you sprawling to the ground with an act of groundbreaking reinvention, but that’s pretty much the point. They offer an interesting, premium take on a shoe that we're particularly familiar with. Clean. Very, very clean. And cleanliness confers extra wear options.

With two years of Undefeated Clydes on the horizon, the prospect of UNDFTD ballistic nylon Clydes in a coming season is a serious prospect indeed. The N*E*R*D party performance and plain and embossed special editions were just the beginning If you want a pair, then get yourself down to London’s Dover Street Market tomorrow, where there’s a little installation running from the 12th to the 16th of the the month and Mr. Eddie Cruz will be in attendance.