Zack Schlemmer 
In 2018 the Puma Suede celebrates its 50th anniversary, and as you could probably expect, the brand has some big plans. Today Puma announces the 50th anniversary campaign for the legendary sneaker, which will honor the Suede’s legacy by partnering with brands and icons within the music, fashion, street, and pop cultures to introduce 50 unique drops of the silhouette. In addition to the collabs, Puma will also re-release beloved OG styles of the suede throughout 2018.
To begin the campaign, Puma partners with track athlete and African American activist Tommie Smith, who is famous for raising his fist in a human rights salute after taking the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics with fellow USA runner John Carlos to receive their first and third place medals, respectively, in the 200m race. (For full details on the podium salute, visit the Wikipedia entry on the historic moment here.)
In addition to the powerful statement at a time of civil unrest, Puma credits Smith with being the first to bring the Suede to a global stage, as he also carried a black Puma suede with him to the podium while stepping up on the platform wearing only black socks to represent black poverty.
The complete roster of collaborations for the Puma Suede 50th Anniversary celebration will be announced in November, with the first drop scheduled for November 4th.
