Today, October 16, marks the anniversary of Tommie Smith breaking a 200m world record at the Summer Games in Mexico City — Smith wore PUMA spikes, and took to the victory standing carrying a PUMA Suede in his left hand. To commemorate this event and the history of the shoe, PUMA is kicking off its Suede 50th Anniversary campaign.
The record was broken in 1968, and now in 2017, Smith is the first face of the sneaker’s mid-centurial celebration. Various other talents in the field of music, fashion and pop culture will join forces with PUMA to initiate 50 individual drops of the sneaker. While the festivities occur, PUMA will continue retro-ing OG silhouettes and releasing new models; some of the upcoming re-releases will include popular iterations such as the B-Boy Fabulous Pack and the Made in Japan Collectors’ Pack.
The drops begin November 4 at PUMA stores and stockists. PUMA has linked up with several creatives recently, including The Weeknd, Han Kjøbenhavn, and Off The Hook.