Have you ever wondered what would happen if Puma and a tattoo artist made a product? The answer to that is probably a no. But that’s okay because you’re about to see it. And it’s cool! If you are a fan of Japanese art, you’re going to love these. The sneakers are in the classic “Clyde” style which were introduced to the 70’s when famous basketball player Walt “Clyde” Frazier requested a pair of custom Suedes.
Puma took their original Suede sneaker, made them lighter and wider and added his name to the side. And there you go, the classic “Clyde” was born. But this version of the classic “Clyde” is a little different. Tattoo artist Ichibay Chang of Three Tides Tattoo created the design for the shoes and it is beautiful. He uses the Japanese art style called Ukiyo-e to create the design of waves, rock, and plants. The design is used on the side of the shoes and as the inner lining. The colors he used make the design more subtle than they could be but they are still a statement shoe.
They still have suede like the regular “Clyde” does. The whole front of the shoe is black suede and there is a line of black breaking up the design on the sides of the shoes as well. The heals feature a pop of blue suede which ties into the colors in the Ukiyo-e design really nicely. For the laces you get two color options. Either plain white or, our favorite, a coated black that resembles leather. The black laces give the sneakers an edgier look and bring out the leather trim detail around the top of the shoes. Overall these sneakers are pretty and cool. They are different enough to be trendy and a statement shoe but not too out there. And they combine two classic designs that we can not see going out of style anytime soon; so you don’t have to worry about spending money on something that will be out of trend in a couple months. The Ukiyo-e style has been popular since the 17th century after all. Click here to buy now