Introduction
Another PUMA Suede X Dapper Dan release! This shoe looks very promising and bold as always from Dapper Dan.
The collaboration features two Colorways, Croissant-Rose Dust and Blazing Blue on PUMA.com (US & Japan).
There’s much to unpack on these shoes but first let’s sharpen your history.
Let’s Go Back – Who’s Dapper Dan?
Dapper Dan : Courtesy of PUMA.com
Born and raised in Harlem, New York City. Dapper Dan is a renowned fashion designer and cultural icon who has made an incredible mark on the world of streetwear and luxury fashion.
Early on Dapper Dan, real name Danial Day, was very poor growing up in Harlem during the 50s and 60s. In his early teenage years, Dapper Dan became a successful gambler and was able to make thousands of dollars before getting jailed for drug use. Shortly after however he became a cold turkey and focused on academics.
Opening up his boutique later on Dapper Dan would create new clothing out of repurposed premium leather, from high-end luxury clothing featuring the luxury brand embossed logos. The further production of these unique pieces allowed Dapper Dan to create new ways of screen printing onto clothing. Dapper Dan referred to his clothing as “knock-ups”, as he believed that they weren’t “knock-offs”.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Dapper Dan rose to prominence for his innovative designs that combined high-end luxury fashion with streetwear aesthetics. He became known for his custom creations which were remixes of luxury fashion, featuring bold logos, extravagant patterns, and luxurious materials, often incorporating logos from iconic fashion houses such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi.
Dapper Dan’s boutique, located on 125th Street in Harlem, quickly became a mecca for celebrities, athletes, and hip-hop artists seeking his unique designs. His clients included renowned figures like LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, and Mike Tyson, among many others. Through his creative vision and impeccable craftsmanship, Dapper Dan redefined the concept of luxury fashion, challenging the established norms of the industry.
Rapper: LL Cool J in an outfit Designed by Dapper Dan
In recent years, Dapper Dan’s contributions to the fashion world have been recognized and celebrated. In 2017, Gucci collaborated with him, acknowledging his influence and inviting him to create a capsule collection in partnership with the brand. This collaboration marked a significant turning point in the industry, as it represented a recognition of the cultural impact of streetwear and urban fashion.
Beyond his fashion career, Dapper Dan has also been an advocate for education and entrepreneurship, particularly in underserved communities. He has mentored aspiring designers and entrepreneurs, sharing his experiences and inspiring them to pursue their dreams
Dapper Dan has had previous collaborations with PUMA with another Suede Release that happened in October of 2022 and another one a few months ago in January, 2023.
Courtesy of Puma.com
Courtesy of Puma.com
Let’s dive into the Design
Compared to the recent PUMA Suede X Dapper Dan collaboration this shoe has more things going on. The multicolored outsole, the stash pocket zipper tongue, the multi-patterned canvas, the inner sole, and the Dapper Dan emblem on the heel of the shoe.
The Design – Croissant / Rose Dust
The shoe looks premium for a premium price tag. With a mix of canvas and suede in addition to the intricate stitching, PUMA and Dapper Dan did very well with this shoe. Let’s get more in-depth.
The tongue is made out of canvas material that is featured all around the shoe. Stitched on the canvas material is the signature Dapper Dan logo arranged in a circle with the leaping PUMA logo in the center of the circle. Something very unique about this tongue is the pink zipper at the end of the flap. This zipper is something I haven’t seen before on a PUMA Suede and is both aesthetically pleasing and possibly useful.
As mentioned previously the sides of the shoe feature a mix of canvas material and premium suede. When looking closer the stitching on the shoe looks to be stitched onto the Suede itself. On the eyelet, the suede changes colors to light brown. Stitched and hanging from the eyelet is a PUMA X Dapper Dan tag. This cobranding tag is different from the usual PUMA Gold Foil imprint that was seen on the last Dapper Dan collaboration and is seen on almost every Suede.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
All around the sole, the shoe features multi-colored sections. Starting from the Canvas embroidered section on the sides the sole changes from a light brown color to a light beige color. This change in color contrasts with the dark Canvas above very nicely. As we move on past the form strip that light brown color is brought back on the sole shortly before changing to a pink towards the back of the heel. This pink color is seen all around the shoe in small details. This pink can be seen in the tongue’s zipper flap, the pink eyelet below the zipper, and lastly the pink Dapper Dan emblem seen on the back of the shoe. These pink accents all around the shoe pair very well with the all-around beige canvas and suede.
Moving onto the back of the heel the sole has changed to an all pink with the signature PUMA branding raised imprint. As mentioned before replacing the usual PUMA logo on the upper heel is Dapper Dan’s signature emblem in pink. Lastly moving into the shoe is a custom sole. The sole is green and features the same Dapper Dan pattern that was seen on the tongue of the shoe. Overall the shoe is art. The design is simple but extravagant. Looking at a PUMA Suede X Dapper Dan collaboration never fails to make me at the edge of my seat.
The Suede
Courtesy of PUMA.com
Excluding all the premium stitching, embroidery, and canvas let’s focus on what makes a PUMA Suede, Suede. The suede on the toe box tells the same story as the suede on most Dapper Dan collaborations. The suede looks more flat and less napped to give it more of a premium look. The suede on the sides of the shoe looks to be more mapped and buttery which helps the contrast between the different colors that are present in the stitched design. The suede lastly makes an appearance on the eyelets and heel of the shoe.
Formstrip
There is nothing special about the Formstrip and that’s a good thing. A basic Formstrip puts more emphasis on the surrounding designs . However, it’s not to say that it’s a normal Formstrip. The center parallel stitching is still present however on the edges of the Formstrip there is very premium-looking stitching that routes back into the embroidery design behind it.
Lacing
The shoe features typical PUMA Suede lacing with a beige that seamlessly blends in with the rest of the shoe.
Tongue
As mentioned before this shoe has something very special. It features what PUMA calls the “stash pocket with zipper on tongue”. This pink accented zipper really adds to the shoe and makes it all the more premium looking. Whether the stash pocket is useful is debatable however you might be able to fold a paper bill to be stashed in your PUMA Suede.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
Moving onto the design as mentioned before the tongue is constructed out of a canvas material with a stitched design. The canvas looks very premium on the tongue and pairs with the stitching very nicely. More importantly, the design on the tongue is Dapper Dan’s signature logo arranged in a circle with a leaping PUMA centered in the middle.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
Sole
Inner Sole
The custom inner sole is green which contrasts the entire shoe and seems out of place but still fits. The sole features Rudigon prints and the Dapper Dan logo.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
Outer Sole
As mentioned previously the outer sole has been constructed out of different colors. Towards the front is a darker brown transitioning into a light beige. This pattern then returns to the darker brown before ending in a light pink. The sole helps contrast the patterns on the side of the shoe while giving the shoe a unique look. The pink towards the back really ties everything together as that’s where the pink eyelet, pink stash zipper, and pink Dapper Dan emblem are.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
The Design – Blazing Blue
Much is the same for this color-way however the same details deserve to be mentioned.
This colorway looks just as premium as Croissant/ Pink rose. With blue-on-blue colors seen throughout the shoe on the canvas and suede, the rudigon prints and designs are more visible due to the greater contrast between light and dark blue. Those same pink accents we see throughout the shoe in the Croissant/ Pink rose colorway are still present just in a light gold color.
The Suede
Courtesy of PUMA.com
Regarding the suede the same story goes for both however on the sides the suede looks to be more napped and buttery. The suede located on the toe box looks to be less napped and soft.
Formstrip
Courtesy of PUMA.com
In contrast to the formstrip on the croissant/pink rose color-way this formstrip has more visible stitching due to the colors in high contrast to each other. The beige stitching on the dark blue suede of the formstrip highlights the stitching very nicely.
Lacing
The shoe features typical PUMA Suede lacing with a dark blue that seemingly blends in with the rest of the shoe.
Tongue
Courtesy of PUMA.com
The stash pocket zipper on the tongue is more visible in this color way due to it standing out and being that accented light gold mentioned earlier. The blue Dapper Dan design and PUMA leaping embroidery blend seamlessly with the rest of the blue canvas tongue.
Sole
Inner Sole
Unfortunately the inner sole is not shown in the product images provided by PUMA and cant be described without having the shoe in hand. Going based on the inner sole of the last color-way you can expect a color that isn’t on the shoe to be covered with Dapper Dan logos and Rudigon prints.
Outer Sole
Courtesy of PUMA.com
The outer sole is composed of four sections with different shades of blue in each. The colors are subtle and blend with the other shades of blue located all over the canvas, suede, and stitching.
Conclusion
In another collaboration between the New York legend Dapper Dan and PUMA Suede we got another premium and innovative PUMA Suede.
A zipper stash pocket in the tongue of the shoe, stitching into the suede, dapper dan emblem, and multi-colored sole.
The whole shoe looks very premium and makes me excited for the future as every Dapper Dan X PUMA Suede collaboration we have gotten has been refined.
Courtesy of PUMA.com
From the writers at Psuedes, thank you for reading.
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