What happened to Puma?

VikingSamurai

VikingSamurai

Banned
Hi everyone.. I normally wear Nike, but have been having a bit of a retro feel lately as I used to wear and use Puma gear while a teen in Australia in the 80's..

I now live in Japan, and I dont know if its a just a Japanese thing, but what happened to Puma?.. The only stuff we see here now days is the trendy retro-retro things from the 60's and 70's, and there seems to be alot of novelty stuff as handbags and ladies wear for the girls, and heaps of stuff for the kids. But what happened to us guys, and what about any form of Puma range in Tennis?

I remember the days when it was Adidas, Puma, Nike, and Reebok was on its way up... Now Puma has dissapeared.. I would really love a nice Puma racquet bag to hold about 5 or 6 racquets, but there is none around?.. Nothing? Anyone know where to look?

Chris
 
Seems like with all the money they're making in the retro market, they might have some R&D bucks and come out with tennis shoes again. They made some great tennis shoes in the 1980s.
 
Its a shame, because no matter how many new brands come on the market.. If you break it down. There are two images that will always spring to mind as soon as you see them.. That is the Puma "stripe".. And the adidas 3 stripes..
Infact. I am going to save Puma and get rid of all my Nike stuff and buy nothing but Puma from now on.. And I dont care if I am uncool or not hip!
I will probably be the only one wearing it. But it will be my very own one man revolution..Yeah, I gotta get a life...

Chris
 
I'd say ever since Puma lost Serena, they stopped making tennis shoes and apparel. Same thing happened in basketball for them, they had Vince Carter, but he left for Nike and since then they have stopped producing modern basketball shoes. They should restart their tennis line. I mean they have decent performing running shoes and decent baseball and soccer cleats. Not hard to apply some of their tech in a tennis shoe.
 
chris_in_japan said:
Hi everyone.. I normally wear Nike, but have been having a bit of a retro feel lately as I used to wear and use Puma gear while a teen in Australia in the 80's..

I now live in Japan, and I dont know if its a just a Japanese thing, but what happened to Puma?.. The only stuff we see here now days is the trendy retro-retro things from the 60's and 70's, and there seems to be alot of novelty stuff as handbags and ladies wear for the girls, and heaps of stuff for the kids. But what happened to us guys, and what about any form of Puma range in Tennis?

I remember the days when it was Adidas, Puma, Nike, and Reebok was on its way up... Now Puma has dissapeared.. I would really love a nice Puma racquet bag to hold about 5 or 6 racquets, but there is none around?.. Nothing? Anyone know where to look?

Chris
Click to expand...

e bay.........
 
I wish puma had a tennis apparel and shoe line. That would be awesome. We've got a Puma store at southcoast plaza but they sell other activewear, soccer, running sport shoes. I have a pair of Puma Roma shoes. They rock.
 
Your best bet for retro sneakers/apparel is ****. They have some very old new stock at times. So if you punch in Puma in the search window you might be surprised what pops up.
 
I was told this a long time ago and never bothered to try and verify it so I'll see if anyone here can confirm this: as most of you know Adidas was started by Adolf Dassler, who's nickname was Adi. The name Adidas comes from that--ADI DASsler. Now here's the rumor I heard. His brother originally worked with him but they had a falling out and Adi's brother left Adidas and started Puma. True or urban legend?
 
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JW10S said:
I was told this a long time ago and never bothered to try and verify it so I'll see if anyone here can confirm this: as most of you know Adidas was started by Adolf Dassler, who's nickname was Adi. The name Adidas comes from that--ADI DASsler. Now here's the rumor I heard. His brother originally worked with him but they had a falling out and Adi's brother left Adidas and started Puma. True or urban legend?
Click to expand...

True.

Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, Adi Dassler's brother. Not sure what caused the schism (did Adi give him the boot? Was he acting like a heel? Nyuk nuyk), and we can only imagine what conversation around Mom's Christmas dinner table must have been like!
 
retrowagen said:
True.

Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, Adi Dassler's brother. Not sure what caused the schism (did Adi give him the boot? Was he acting like a heel? Nyuk nuyk), and we can only imagine what conversation around Mom's Christmas dinner table must have been like!
Click to expand...

I also just heard today (on CNBC) that there's a rumour that Adidas may be buying Puma. A family reunion at long last? ;)
 
I always buy Puma stuff - just not tennis related. I love their jackets and shoes; and with the clothing they release in tandem with Ferrari is awesome.
 
retrowagen said:
True.

Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, Adi Dassler's brother. Not sure what caused the schism (did Adi give him the boot? Was he acting like a heel? Nyuk nuyk), and we can only imagine what conversation around Mom's Christmas dinner table must have been like!
Click to expand...


Jaa, und the Puma campus was just across the river from the adidas factory.

I had a pair of Puma Vilas Topspin shoes. White with gray. So good on clay. Did not last on hardcourts, but I'd love a few pairs of those in blue or brown now -- just to wear casually.

There was one Puma back then with nubuck leather or maybe kangaroo leather? So cool.
 
zapvor said:
question: how takai are shoes in Japan chris?
Click to expand...

What shoes are you refering to?.. Let me know and I will have a look at the difference?.. As for me, I think the last pair of actual tennis shoes I ever wore were a pair of red and white Puma Beckers back around 1988.. Since then I have prefered wearing certain types of running shoes to play.. Just like lighter shoes with more bounce.. My latest running come tennis shoe is the Puma Mens Jago.. Although they are an old model now also..

Chris
 
oh i just meant in general. like for any given shoe and factor in exchange rate how much more expensive is it.
 
Oh, I see.. Well, I have never found it to be expencive at all?.. I guess it depends on what you want and where you buy it?.. There is this belief that Japan is really expencive, and that might be so in Tokyo, but not for us that live in other parts.. In fact I find the cost of living to be actually quite cheap.. For example. I live in a large 2 story 4 bedroom house and I pay roughly $270 a month rent.. We were lucky to be friends with the owners. But still...

Chris
 
OH WOW

that is cheap. i do have the image of japan being super expensive, but as you point out that is just like tokyo,etc. so where do you live?
 
Hi.. I have to seperate the letters because the censor doesnt like the name of my city.. I live in the middle of F u kuoka, and Kitakyushu cities, on the southern island of Kyushu. I am an hour away from Korea, 1.5 hours from Okinawa, 2.5 hours from Taiwan, and an hour away from Osaka and 1.5 from Tokyo.. They hold the Japan open wheelchair tournament here in my town every year... I am able bodied, but every year, these guys amaze me!
 
sugoi. outstanding. are you there for school? how long have you lived there. and is it true you can buy shoes from vending machines
 
I work here.. Been a long time since I studied..

As for shoes in a vending machine. Cant say I have seen that.. But Thats how I get my beer when I feel like a walk up the street..
 
OK, I'll dive in here. In the US, Puma's first push was the basketball market. In the early '70s, they had Walt Frazier (NY Knicks) under contract. They had a very stylish BB shoe then. It was suede (rough side of leather out), and the Puma "stripe" was available in colors.

I got my hands on a pair, and was the envy of the local HS basketball scene. Alas, they had no durability, and that was the end of that.

They did make tennis shoes, and put out a few decent models, which I wore as I took up tennis after high school. But, they faded away, and nowadays, the Pumas I see on the feet of the kids I teach are just style sneakers.

Yes, all the aforementioned stuff about the Dassler family is true : )
 
Puma is still in the apparel biz. Their US office is in Boston. After Serena jumped, I think they quit real athletic apparel and are going for the urban youth market.
 
PimpMyGame said:
There are very few "real" mergers. This would be a takeover, no matter how it's gift-wrapped.
Click to expand...
That is correct - and Nike would be the 'Daddy' in this one.

rasajadad said:
Puma is still in the apparel biz. Their US office is in Boston. After Serena jumped, I think they quit real athletic apparel and are going for the urban youth market.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I go in their store in the People's Republic of Santa Monica from time to time - they still have soccer gear but no real tennis stuff. And their pricing, maybe it's just because it's a Tourist Trap, is out of whack with reality. Their standard t-shirts, made out of generic cotton, are more expensive than many Nike Dri-fit shirts.
 
West Coast Ace said:
...Their standard t-shirts, made out of generic cotton, are more expensive than many Nike Dri-fit shirts.
Click to expand...

That's funny.
On one level, you'd figure poly would be more expensive than cotton, due to the technology involved in making it work well.
On the other hand, you'd think cotton would be much more expensive as a raw material, since it is grown and not just manufactured out of plastic. Recycled even.

Anyone know more about this? Am I totally off? I'm thinking polyester is the greatest cash cow for the clothing manufacturers to come along since the idea of logo.
 
slice bh compliment said:
On one level, you'd figure poly would be more expensive than cotton, due to the technology involved in making it work well.
On the other hand, you'd think cotton would be much more expensive as a raw material, since it is grown and not just manufactured out of plastic. Recycled even.
Click to expand...
You could be right - I'm sure cotton prices go up and down based on output - but I know Nike (and Adidas) pay a royalty to Dupont for the Dri-fit and Climacool products.

I think with Puma people are paying for the 'cool' designs.
 
retrowagen said:
True.

Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, Adi Dassler's brother. Not sure what caused the schism (did Adi give him the boot? Was he acting like a heel? Nyuk nuyk), and we can only imagine what conversation around Mom's Christmas dinner table must have been like!
Click to expand...

Yep, this is right. I read an article about this in Wallpaper magazine. Apparently the schism was about a woman. When the two brothers split, it got really bad in the town. You worked for either Adidas or Puma and you either hung out with Adidas workers or Puma workers; went to Adidas bars or Puma bars...you get the picture.
 
I love Puma too, and as recently as 2004 (or maybe it was 2005), they still had a couple of sponsored athletes on the tour. Xavier Malisse wore Puma in '04 (again, maybe '05; i can't remember) and so did a girl on the women's tour, whose name escapes me. But despite all my searching, I couldn't find any of the stuff that Xavier was wearing.

And for what it's worth, Kirsten Dunst wore Puma in that movie , Wimbledon.

It's a shame Puma didn't fight harder to keep Serena. i think Puma could still do great in serious athletic apparel in addition to their retro stuff.

Right now I wear some Puma on the courts--their general athletic tops and shorts that Tennis Warehouse sells once in a while. If anyone finds specific Puma tennis wear, I'd be very interested.
 
Well they have gotten into golf now, and I guess thats a good thing for them. But unless you are Tiger Woods, I dont think people care to much about what the other players wear.. Tennis still for some part has an audience that has more than one personality as is seen on the support for different players here.. I just think Puma would get more exposure by being in Tennis, and not golf.. Although Golf cant hurt..

Seeing the Puma cat on a few sets of strings again would get people talking again.. This whole retro thing can only last a few years as fads come and go..
 
Seems they have chosen to specialise in football stuff, boots for soccer, rugby/aussie rules football etc, and racing shoes/suits...
Seems to make sense, European football is almost like Wall Street with what players get paid, and how much they change teams on the transfer market etc...
 
Yeah I hope Puma gets back into tennis. I mean they have such a rich history in tennis. They've had Vilas and Becker wearing their shoes. They even made racquets at one point.
 
staedtler said:
Yeah I hope Puma gets back into tennis. I mean they have such a rich history in tennis. They've had Vilas and Becker wearing their shoes. They even made racquets at one point.
Click to expand...

What was so annoying about Puma is even when they were into tennis, you couldn't find the stuff anywhere.
 
staedtler said:
Yeah I hope Puma gets back into tennis. I mean they have such a rich history in tennis. They've had Vilas and Becker wearing their shoes. They even made racquets at one point.
Click to expand...

Doesn't anyone remember the old Puma DISC system shoes?
No laces, just a disc that u turn to tighten the shoe!!
Few players in the early 90s wore those...
I can only think of Karel Novacek who did....
Anyway, I think they've pretty much decided to bury the tennis hatchet...
Seems to make sense since Nike/Adidas/Reebok have the market dominance as far as tennis shoes/apparel goes...
 
ibringtheHEAT said:
i agree. puma was crazy cool, but now they are hitting a converse-esque phase.
Click to expand...
Maybe in the sense of player sponsorships but Puma is one of the most hip looking urban wear out there. They make really distinct and cool looking shoes that you can wear on the streets or clubs. Ok I understand the OP might have been looking for sports shoes/gear but style wise with street wear, Puma is way up there.
 
rommil said:
Maybe in the sense of player sponsorships but Puma is one of the most hip looking urban wear out there. They make really distinct and cool looking shoes that you can wear on the streets or clubs. Ok I understand the OP might have been looking for sports shoes/gear but style wise with street wear, Puma is way up there.
Click to expand...

^Puma and Asics Onitsuka too lol...
 
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