PUMA
and SNEAKER FREAKER have once
again joined forces, this time to commemorate the release of their first
collaboration together. As notorious as
it was successful, Sneaker Freaker’s ‘Great White’ version of PUMA’s
Blaze of Glory runner hit the street in April 2008. Melding sleek silver-grey nubuck suede with
gummy pink pops, aqua blue and blood red highlights, the subversive
shark-themed design was met with a profound and positive response. Five years later, in celebration of the
enduring success of the project, an exclusive double release of the Blaze of
Glory - in both original colours and with a new lightweight version - will be
released on Sneaker Freaker online on Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
and then globally, at selected sneaker boutiques on Saturday, November 30th,
2013.
Founded in 2002
by Simon “Woody” Wood from Melbourne, Australia, Sneaker Freaker magazine is
the world’s first and only global sneaker magazine. Widely admired for its frank and humorous
approach to analysing footwear, Sneaker Freaker’s globally influential role has
helped shape the industry over the past decade.
The magazine is sold in over 40 countries and also published in Russian,
Spanish and German.
As Wood cheekily
confesses, “I started the magazine purely with the idea of getting loads of
free shoes. That part came true, but I
had no idea how my life would turn out.
For ten years I have been traveling the world documenting sneaker
culture. Designing a PUMA with my name
on it was a pipe dream before I started Sneaker Freaker. This particular collaboration project is a
very special memory.”
Back in 2008, PUMA
released two versions of the Blaze of Glory in collaboration with Sneaker
Freaker. The first was known as the
‘Great White’ and the second release was known as the ‘Black Beast’. Laden with subtle references to sharks in the
form of anodized tooth jewels, triangulated attack logos and a translucent
Trinomic ‘river of blood’ sole, the ‘Great White’ and ‘Black Beast’ Blaze of
Glory’s sold out in seconds all over the globe.
A third Friends and Family Blaze of Glory version was made from exotic
and genuine sharkskin and stealthily given away in limited numbers.
“We found a
supplier of real shark skin leather and convinced PUMA to make some exclusive pairs,”
Wood recalls. “The shark leather turned
out to be super wrinkly, surprisingly tough and
blacker than the
ace of spades. We will never see shark
leather used again in footwear. They were just so beautiful.
Some five years
later, the PUMA
x SNEAKER FREAKER Blaze of Glory
have cemented their status in the history books as arguably PUMA’s most
successful collaboration projects of all time.
Revisiting such an iconic collaboration has never really been done
before, but sheer demand and interest in the shoes convinced Wood that the
timing was right and the idea was sound.
States Wood, “Out
of all the shoes I have created, this is the one project I still get asked
about all the time. As they are so
fondly remembered, I thought it would be nice to see them back on the streets
again. Rules are meant to be broken and
even I would love a fresh pair of the Blaze of Glory as much as anyone.”
Under Wood’s
direction, the Blaze of Glory shoes were remade with selective amendments and
as identical to the originals. The satin
sock-lining is now colour coded, the lush nubuck has been fettled with a deep
emboss that mimics sharkskin and a performance inner sole has been inserted to
ramp up comfort. The Blaze of Glory LTWT
is made up of lightweight neoprene mesh with an innovative twist using welded
synthetics and reflective materials. Signature
features like the shark tooth jewels, diamond-like logo and the fluorescent
pink pop intact on the Blaze of Glory OG black shoe, are still maintained on
the re-issued versions.
The PUMA x
Sneaker Freaker Blaze of Glory 5th Anniversary pack will be sold in an
oversize custom box complete with foam padding and embossed with the project’s
trademark diamond ‘shark attack’ logo, no doubt creating an even bigger splash
this time around.
The PUMA x
Sneaker Freaker Blaze range will be available in Shelflife stores in South Africa
from 2 December 2013. RRP: R2499.00. For further information visit www.puma.com or call 021 551 0832.
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