PUMA Suede

The Suede harks back to the late '60s, where the titular material offered a premium and practical alternative to canvas. Not that we were around then. Take a look at the reissued 'Subway Art' too, and clock the primary shoe-of-choice on those oversized pages. Now that's an endorsement you can't buy. We know 'old school' has been bastardised by new-nostalgics who think that '94 is worthy of the term (though in fairness, 'old school' is totally subjective), but we're talking a truly nascent scene, where this shoe was established as a trend piece, even before Cooper and Chalfont got familiar. The b-boys lapped up the Yugo-made '70s/'80s cut, and the skaters of the '90s might have been razor blading (nothing personal to the brand - it just seemed the right thing) Formstripes on the cut of the time, or sourcing deadstock. In fact one Crooked Tongues crew member swears blind that the deadstock in a local boutique was obtained by an ex-colleague. Beyond the board there were the beard scratchers too, helping instigate the rise of simple silhouettes. Black Moon's Buckshot rocked them well too. In the ensuing 16 years or so, the Suede has visibly aged. The ones in TK Maxx circa '04 weren't right, but things got worse after that on the sole unit front. Way worse. Luckily, these makeups are super-simple and deeply effective. The sole looks like it's been improved via a trip to the archives, the shape and branding is superior - less wonky than before and yes, the name of the shoe remains written beneath the gold logo, but it's far from a dealbreaker. This is what people wanted to see, and the pricepoint and execution are excellent. Last year's three drops shifted fast, and these, part of three drops for 2010, look set to do the same. Act fast...