PUMA is a weird beast, isn’t it? For a sports label to have not only been around for near-on 75 years, but still be relevant is nothing short of admirable. Yet, to me, it’s all a bit, well, meh.
While, of course, that is simply just my personal opinion (and certainly not that of Highsnobiety as a company or any of my colleagues), it’s just how I feel and there’s nothing you can do about it. Well, that’s what I thought.
As a matter of fact, PUMA’s collaborations actually hit pretty hard.
It’s rare that a brand with such a tedious mainline arsenal of both footwear and apparel can continually manage to strike the perfect balance when it comes to collaborations.
This year alone the sports label has tapped the likes of nanamica and Butter Goods for pleasing capsules, with its ongoing partnership with AMI arguably the pick of the bunch, well, until now.
Together with independent running brand Tracksmith, PUMA has recently revealed its Speed City collection, a celebration of the dominant California men’s collegiate running program of the mid-20th century.
The athletes within the program not only set global standards for performance, but fought for social justice through the Olympic Project for Human Rights and the 1968 Mexico City protest.
“This collaboration is about celebrating the impact Speed City had on our culture both on and off the track,” explains Tracksmith founder and CEO, Matt Taylor.
“It’s no understatement to say that the Speed City program changed both running and the world. We’re proud to celebrate the legacy of these athletes who were at the forefront of both human performance and using their platform to drive social change.”
The collection itself is made up of a selection of on and off track apparel including tees, jumpers, and singlets, with 5% of all proceeds from Tracksmith going to protecting and creating opportunities for youth and college athletes in track and field.
Whether you’re a fan of PUMA on its own or not (don't take it personally, PUMA), there’s no denying that its best work of recent years has undoubtedly been at the hands of collaboration. God bless.
