These Are the Most Important Shoes in Puma History
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Puma’s catalog is rich and deep with iconic silhouettes.
Since its inception more than 75 years ago, the German athletic giant has delivered hit after hit for athletes and the style-savvy alike. For instance, the Puma Clyde, a shoe worn on the basketball court by NBA icon Walt “Clyde” Frazier in the 1970s — who signed a lifetime deal with the brand in 2018 — has become a staple in the closets of sneakerheads over the years.
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Puma has also released modern sneaker franchises that have become instant favorites. NBA star LaMelo Ball’s signature shoes, for example, are bold and fun, providing the refresh that the basketball market needed. Ball’s first signature shoe, the MB.01, arrived in December 2021.
Most recently in January 2024, to the delight of many, Puma announced it would bring back its fashion-driven Mostro silhouette that arrived on the scene in 1999 (and was reintroduced in 2017).
The wildly popular look, known for its sleek and stylish appearance, was designed by Peter Schmidt. The Mostro, which is named after the Italian word for “monster,” came equipped with spiked outsoles inspired by track spikes from the 1960s and surfing shoes from the 1980s. Another highlight of the shoe were its bold asymmetrical Velcro straps that consumed much of the uppers.
However, only one shoe can be crowned the German athletic giant’s best. Inside the company, nothing is more revered than the King.
“From a last point of view, a material point of view, a play point of view, the King was absolutely made to give the soccer player the best comfort, best feel for the ball, best fit,” said Björn Gulden, CEO of Puma. “There wasn’t any marketing or gimmick or motivation aside from making the best shoe.”
For these reasons, it was the favorite model of the GM of Puma Teamsport, Matthias Mecking, when he was a kid.
“Growing up in Germany and playing soccer in the ’80s, you had the choice between the King and the [Adidas] Copa Mundial,” Mecking said. “And the King, I felt, fit me better.”
But its performance attributes alone aren’t why the King, which debuted in 1968, reigns supreme. The shoe’s legend was bolstered by the stars of the pitch who laced them up.
“The best players in the world, the players that wore the number 10, players that really made the difference, wore the King,” explained Puma’s senior marketing advisor Helmut Fischer. “Pelé, Eusébio in the ’60s, Johan Cruyff from the ’70s, Diego Maradona — the very best [soccer] players in the world all wore the Puma King.”
Torsten Hochstetter, Puma’s global creative director, is still enamored with the icons of the sport who performed amazing athletic feats in them.
“When I’m in the archive and I’m holding the original shoe of players such as Johan Cruyff or Diego Maradona, that’s incredible. I have goose bumps. It’s very powerful,” Hochstetter said. “They wore the shoe and we all know the legacy of those athletes. Those cleats were one of the most important tools that they needed when they played.”
Aside from the King, Fisher — aka Mr. Puma — outlined the six other most important shoes in brand history.
Super Atom
Dirk Bruniecki
“In 1952, we made the Super Atom, the first [soccer] boot Rudolf [Dassler] made with screw-in studs. It had the first Puma logo, combining the two stripes of the Dassler brothers as one. It also had the logo with the puma jumping into the D of the Dasslers.”
Brush Spike
Dirk Bruniecki
“When we introduced the Brush Spike, our athletes had a lot of wins before the 1968 Olympic Games. Adidas wanted to stop the shoe because they feared that athletes at the Olympic Games will wear the shoes and win medals. The shoes were banned.”
Clyde
Dirk Bruniecki
“Throughout the 1970s, [professional basketball hall of famer] Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier had these shoes on. They were made specifically for him with leather uppers so that he could wear them on the court during his games.”
Boris Becker
Dirk Bruniecki
“A milestone in Puma history is in 1985 when Boris Becker won Wimbledon, the youngest [men’s] tennis champion [at the time], with this shoe on. Later, this shoe became famous as a lifestyle icon as well. Kids liked to wear this shoe in the streets.”
Colin Jackson Disc
Dirk Bruniecki
“We designed the Puma Disc system, which was meant for performance purposes. Colin Jackson became the 110-meter hurdle champion with a time of 12.91 in 1993 while wearing this revolutionary system.”
Usain Bolt World Record Shoe
Dirk Bruniecki
“At the World Championships in Athletics from Berlin in 2009, Usain Bolt set the 9.58 record with these shoes. At that time, Adidas and the Olympic Federation argued that these kinds of spikes would damage the artificial course.”
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