This time for size? collections we took a trip to Denmark to visit PUMA pundit Robert Kjartansson, aka @Robbi_ak. The Icelander’s collection spans coveted classics, unreleased samples and super-limited runs only an ex-insider would’ve been able to get their hands on. Find it all below.
‘‘My first memory of them is kinda funny because I saw them on Saturday Night Live, and Eddie Murphy had a red pair on,’’ explains Robbi as he talks us through the first time he remembers spotting a pair of PUMA’s. ‘I think they were Suede or State.’’Â
The first silhouette showcased in Robbi’s collection is the PUMA Gold Fit, a ‘70s model which was produced in both West Germany and Yugoslavia. With a little help from the PUMA community, Robbi was able to track down a pair from a seller in the UK. ‘‘These are my absolute favourite vintage pair…’’ Â
‘‘In terms of product I try to go for Clyde’s, and I’ve done so for many years,’’ says Robbi, ‘‘mainly models from the 2005-2007 era due to the shape and materials of the shoe.’’ The PUMA Clyde Tommie Smith model in his collection pays tribute to the 200m sprinter who won at the Olympics in 1968, and features his recorded time on the tongue label.
For those not in the know, PUMA’s Crack eventually went on to become the PUMA Suede. ‘‘The Crack is not for everyone,’’ Robbi informs us, ‘‘but the thing about the Crack is that everyone thought that it was the Suede on the 1968 Olympic podium in Mexico. Highlighting this is a part of the history and culture of PUMA.’’
Robbi’s all time favourite pair in his collection is the PUMA x A Bathing Ape Clyde. ‘‘It was really limited,‘‘ he says about the release, ‘‘the strategies about it were on point, some decisions were made, and some of the items for the collection were never released. Fortunately, I have them, as I was an employee of PUMA back then.’’
His rarest pair? The PUMA Moth King. ‘‘I’d been sourcing this pair for a long, long, long time, and then a friend of mine who worked at PUMA for some time sent me a box with these, one of ten silhouettes from the Japanese Monster Pack and they were all samples. They were my grails for a long time.’’
Robbi’s PUMA Cell Endura which he picked up at a flea market is the silhouette which holds the most sentimental value in his collection. He wore this exact pair to a Rhianna event in New York where keen interest was taken in the footwear, which led him to lend the pair to some American designers from within the industry. When he got the pair back, unfortunately they were cracked at the midsoles, but he also received a brand new pair with his own name scribed onto the heel caps and insoles. Silver linings and all that…
Lastly, another salesman sample. The PUMA Bonnie & Clyde references the 1967 movie of the same name, and features pop-cultural hallmarks such as top hat tongue labelling and golden tommy gun heel cap insignias.
View more collections over on the size? blog.
