The silhouette of the feline has played a determining role in some of the most important moments of the counterculture, such as hip-hop or the b-boy movement; but it has also led the mainstream starring in football kits or exclusive collections. An amalgam of imaginaries that have endowed Puma with a unique vision that explains its privileged position since the 1950s.
Separated at birth. Puma was created by Rudolf Dassler in 1948 after his brother decided to leave the joint venture to create his own company, adidas. The fraternal competitiveness resulted in the victory of both, founders of two of the most recognized sports brands since their birth until today.
Puma was originally called Ruda, acronym of the first syllables of its first and last name. But Ruda was not convincing, and they ended up keeping only the vowels. The name Puma was born, and with it, the first logo with this feline. The first image reflected a puma jumping over a letter «D» and was created by Dassler himself.
The most famous feline in sportswear
The memorable logo of a puma has served the eponymous brand to create an identity recognized throughout the world. Its image inspires strength and speed, but there is much more behind this symbolic drawing. The truth is, to begin with, the drawing is not a Puma but a panther. The creator of the logo, Lutz Backes, confessed that he actually drew a panther because its silhouette is more elegant than that of a puma.
So he opted for the stylized shape of a panther and added the paws and head of a puma. Its design became the official logo of the sportswear brand on January 10, 1968, and hasn’t changed since, although the animal has undergone some transformations. Actually, many.
As a curious fact, Lutz Backes refused to receive a commission of one pfenning, one cent of the last German mark, for each Puma product that was sold. The designer preferred a one-time payment of 600 marks, an amount with which he also received a sports bag and a pair of the brand’s sneakers.
Another curiosity confessed by Backes is that the founder of Puma, Rudolf Dassler, asked him the reason why he had given it such a long tail. «I always have to pay for all the space that the ad takes up», he told the designer. But the length ended up prevailing.
It took more than ten changes to the Puma logo to finally reach the one that it currently displays. And each of those changes had its moment of splendor. Some lasted only for a year; others lasted a decade. Today, although the official Puma logo is the 1978 version, the brand sometimes plays with its image to provide a retro aesthetic in some of its garments. Life is a constant change, and who better than Puma to demonstrate that there is nothing wrong with it.
Puma's most influential designs, sneakers, apparel and accessories related to sports and fashion
Since its origins, Puma has created some of the most recognizable models in the world of athletic footwear and has been able to leap from sport to fashion while maintaining its impact on performance. The Puma Atom, his first creation in football, was the seed for the development of one of the historic models of the sport, the Puma King worn by Eusebio, Pelé, Cruyff and Maradona, among others.
Puma Suede and Puma Clyde, two basketball classics, brought their influence to hip hop in the United States, while in Europe the Terrace phenomenon emerged with models such as Puma Palermo, Puma GV or Puma Super Team. The nineties, with designs such as Puma Speedcat and Puma Mostro, were the years in which Puma forever renewed style and became associated with speed.
Your Puma store at FOOTDISTRICT
“Forever Faster”. Puma’s motto is testimony to the performance and efficiency of its products, always in search of improvement. The brand boasts of a history full of limited editions and exclusive models, the result of its collaborations with fashion figures, such as Karl Lagerfeld; in music, like Rihanna with Fenty; or in sports, such as the sponsorship of great soccer teams. Equip yourself now with the Puma online catalogue at FOOTDISTRICT.
