Nothing hits you in the feels quite like a good throwback, and now Puma is taking sneaker fans back to the good old days with the announcement of the kickoff of their ‘For All Time’ campaign, highlighting their deep legacy as the classic sneaker brand. Throughout the campaign, Puma says it will be examining the meaning of the word “Classic” through products, content, and impact created by ‘The Collective,’ a group of Iconic Culture Influencers, who have shaped sneaker culture over the last 50 years.
The brand has partnered with its Basketball and Classics Creative Director, JAY-Z and Roc Nation’s Emory Jones, as the executive producers of ‘The Collective,’ a team of creatives, influencers, and storytellers who have had a timeless influence in each of their respective fields. Each member of The Collective will highlight various Classic Puma sneaker silhouettes with interviews, creative content, and product designs that help define both what it means to be a Classic, and what it means to have timeless influence.
Emory Jones | Image credit: Lenny Santiago
As a key element of the project, each member of The Collective will hand-select a rising member of the next generation of soon-to-be classic influencers within their fields and support their work and development with a financial grant as well as mentorship and promotional support. PUMA will highlight these new members of the Collective, shining a light on those who very well may become the “classics” of tomorrow.
The Collective line up consists of: Roc Nation’s Emory Jones, award-winning Designer and PUMA Creative Director June Ambrose, Harlem fashion innovator Dapper Dan, decorated Director and videographer Hype Williams, NBA Hall of Famer and PUMA Ambassador Walt Clyde Frazier, RHUDE Designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, Creative Consultant and Founder of Upscale Vandal, Mike Camargo, and Legendary Photographer Lenny Santiago who stands as the Visual Director of Still Photography for the campaign.
“This year, we will be highlighting PUMA’s legacy as a classic sneaker brand by asking a select group of iconic cultural leaders the essential question: What is a Classic?” said Adam Petrick, Chief Brand Officer at Puma. “Our ‘For All Time’ campaign will communicate PUMA’s classic sneakers such as The Puma Suede, and other products by recounting inspiring stories from renowned people who have become unparalleled classics themselves, having influenced Fashion, Music and Sports over the last five decades.”
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Now, 50 years after its launch, the Puma Suede sneaker remains an important fixture in sneaker culture. It’s rare for a sneaker to have such staying power, and to transcend decades of changes in style, but the silo of this classic sneaker has remained fresh over the last 50 years, and that’s no doubt testament to its initial iconic design, but also down to the countless evolutions, and colourways developed by Puma designers that have kept the sneaker a street staple.
Just like the Puma Suede sneaker has developed over time, so have the purveyors of sneaker culture and style. Over the next 8 months, ‘The Collective’ will share their personal stories of growth and development, while also sharing the story of their personally selected Collective member. Each month will see the release of new content via advertising, web content, and social media.
In the current culture of snackable content, immediate access, and trending fame there isn’t much respect for the “long-game.” But it’s the long-game that lasts, the long-game that breeds enduring influence. The “For All Time” initiative celebrates this influence by passing the torch to those who aspire to build a legacy, in collaboration with those who have.
June Ambrose merged hip hop into the luxury fashion space creating a blueprint for 90s and 00s style, Hype Williams transformed hip hop into art with his groundbreaking music videos, Emory Jones is a business and branding visionary, Lenny Santiago redefined on-the-move portraiture, Rhuigi challenged the traditions of American streetwear, Dapper Dan defined logomania before it had a name, and Mike Camargo brings community to the masses – the collective boasts 30+ years of cultural influence that has expanded that access of generations to come.
The Collective has been profiled in a series of short films by award-winning director Nadia Hallgren (Becoming), the platform will enable the collective to tell their stories and playbook on how they have created timeless, classic influence. Starting in late April, the platform will be updated monthly with The Collectives’ stories, starting with Emory Jones in April, followed by Mike Camargo in May, and June Ambrose in June.
In that same time frame, many of PUMA’s products have become true icons and have earned the designation of “Classic.” From the timeless PUMA Suede or the T7 Track Suit, worn by B Boys and street influencers in the 70s and 80s, to the world’s first signature basketball shoe – The Clyde, first established in 1973 and named for Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who redefined “cool” on and off the court. From the everyday ease of the CA-Pro tennis sneaker capturing the on-court look of the 80s and 90s, to the Slipstream basketball shoe, originally released in the early 80s and re-released several times over its history. PUMA has a long list of products that can truly be called “Classics.”
