Puma “Suede”
In 1968, the Puma Suede was introduced as a basketball shoe. Nick Engvall, founder of Sneaker History, reports that these sneakers became legendary after Olympian Tommy Smith became the first man to run the 200m in under 20 seconds. But the story made it at the moment of the award ceremony: Smith brought his Suedes to the podium and raised his fist in worldview to protest against the racial inequality that infested the United States. Soon after, the Suede became “a staple in the hip-hop world and a go-to for b-boys who danced breakdance in the 70s and 80s,” Engvall said.