Puma SE is a German multinational athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories brand, founded in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Germany by Rudolf Dassler — brother of adidas founder Adi Dassler. The brothers' fractured relationship famously split the original Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik into Puma (Rudolf) and adidas (Adi) in 1948, setting up one of the most enduring rivalries in sportswear.
The Suede and the Clyde
The Puma Suede, released in 1968, is the brand's defining silhouette. Tommie Smith wore white Puma Suedes while raising the Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic medal podium — a foundational moment in both sports and cultural history. Walt "Clyde" Frazier's 1972 "Clyde" endorsement variant of the Suede made it the unofficial shoe of 1970s New York street basketball and hip-hop — the Clyde colorway remains continuously retro'd.
Key silhouettes
- Suede / Clyde — 1968/1972 flagship lifestyle silhouette
- Roma — 1968 training shoe
- Speedcat — early-2000s low-profile driving-inspired silhouette, revived 2023
- Palermo — suede lifestyle retro popular in 2024
- Easy Rider — 1970s running retro
- RS-X — modern chunky lifestyle
- MB.03, MB.04 — LaMelo Ball signature basketball line
- Hoops Nitro — modern performance basketball
Collaborations
Rihanna's Fenty x Puma partnership (2014-2017) produced the Creeper — named Shoe of the Year by Footwear News in 2016 — and established the model for celebrity-designed athletic collaborations that followed. Bad Bunny's Pleasures, KidSuper, Palm Angels, Ottolinger, and Pronounce collaborations have driven Puma's 2020s lifestyle resurgence. The brand's return to basketball has included Kyle Kuzma, Breanna Stewart, and most prominently LaMelo Ball's signature MB line.
Global football
Puma outfits Manchester City, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and the national teams of Italy, Switzerland, and Senegal among others. The brand has signed Neymar Jr. (since 2020), Marco Reus, and historically Pelé and Diego Maradona — who scored his famous Hand of God goal wearing Puma Kings in the 1986 World Cup.