For SS’15 PUMA looks to its Tennis archive to inspire
its future and to celebrate the brand’s rich sports heritage of being Forever
Faster.
Since 1948, PUMA has played the game its way and never
stopped its pursuit of pushing sport forward. As a result, the brand’s archive
is packed with over 65 years of records and trophies.
PUMA entered the tennis world soon after the company
was established and launched its first professional tennis shoe, the Match, in
the 60s. Some Match shoes were perforated for breathability. All saw records
tumble.
Throughout the 70s and 80s, PUMA unleashed a flurry of
performance enhancing tennis shoes: all white leather, occasional coloured
Formstrips. They were high quality, made in Europe, tough to replicate and worn
by the best athletes including Guillermo Villas, Martina Navratilova and of
course Boris Becker.
The products were exactly what players needed for
grand slam level play. And they quickly put PUMA at the top of its game. PUMA
designers were considering human factors that other companies weren’t thinking
of yet. Their heightened awareness of ergonomics helped them pioneer a new
approach to footwear that allowed PUMA athletes to outlast the competition.
Adam Petrick (Brand Director) explains “PUMA's desire to be Forever Faster is long
established. The brand's rich tennis heritage has seen some of the games most
celebrated athletes stalk the baseline in their PUMA Tennis shoes. Whilst the innovations that helped PUMA redefine tennis
product and performance throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s may have been eclipsed
the timeless silhouettes continue to endure off-court.”
In 1985, PUMA signed a 17-year old German tennis
player who went by the name of Boris Becker. What came next changed tennis
forever, and has been part of PUMA folklore ever since. Becker became the
youngest and first unseeded player ever to win Wimbledon. Resplendent in his
signature PUMA mid tops and distinctive style of play Becker became bigger than
the game itself.
In 2015, PUMA celebrates the 30th anniversary of this
unprecedented win and the brand’s heritage of unmatched on-court glory and
off-court style. This season, many styles filed under ‘firsts’ and ‘onlys’ are
reissued. Some are altered. Some are authentic to a fault. The Match 74 is
updated with added off-court appeal. Panels that were originally added to
prevent players slipping on court now feature premium suede colour pops.
The PUMA Tennis collection is available in-store from
February. You can shop the collection at: PUMA stores, Sportscene, Cross Trainer, Sneakers
Bloemfontein and other selected retailers in South Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment