PUMA + Staple 'Gidra' Collection
PUMA has teamed up with streetwear brand and longtime collaborator STAPLE, to introduce a collection of footwear and apparel inspired by Gidra, an Asian-American student-run newspaper created in response to anti-Asian sentiment in 1969.
The PUMA + STAPLE “Gidra” collection will be released in two exclusive drops. Each piece reflects the intention and art style of the original publication’s design elements and references the Godzilla-inspired King Terror Pack from PUMA’s archives.
Dropping on 31 March will include PUMA sneakers and an assortment of apparel including tees, a hoodie, anorak jackets, and pants. A PUMA Suede, rendered in yellow to portray the likeness of King Ghidorah, will be included as well as a third Slipstream style in white, grey, and yellow. There will also be a friends-and-family Suede that features a peel-away upper, revealing clippings and illustrations pulled directly from the Gidra newspaper underneath, to be released at a later date.
“I’ve always loved how design is a blank canvas to tell the stories that matter the most,” says Jeff Staple. “Working with PUMA and Mike Murase of Gidra was a unique way to share this influential publication from the 1960s and connect it to the present-day movement to help Stop Asian Hate. We’re stronger when we stand together.”
In addition to the collaboration, $20,000 has been donated to “Visual Communications Media,” a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization founded in 1970 with the mission to develop and support the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers and media artists who empower communities and challenge perspectives.
