Cape Town, South Africa; March 9, 2023 – PUMA has teamed up with streetwear brand and longtime collaborator STAPLE, to introduce a collection of footwear inspired by Gidra, an Asian-American student-run newspaper created in response to anti-Asian sentiment in 1969.
In February 1969, a group of UCLA students created the highly influential publication; “Gidra: The Monthly of the Asian American Experience”. Created in response to anti-Asian sentiments at the university and in greater Los Angeles at the time, Gidra emerged as a leading voice of the Asian American movement. When conceptualizing this collection, the Gidra moment of the late 1960s stood out to STAPLE as a literal, and spiritual kin, of the desire to stand up against Asian hate in the present.
The first delivery of the PUMA x STAPLE “Gidra” collection includes two Slipstream silhouettes and a dragon T-shirt inspired by King Ghidorah. One pair will feature yellow tones to symbolize King Ghidorah and the second pair will be rendered in black. This colour pairing nods to the shared influence of two prominent anti-discrimination movements, Yellow Peril and the Black Panther Party.
Drop one of the PUMA x STAPLE “Gidra” footwear will be released locally on March 10th from PUMA.com, PUMA retail stores, Shelflife and Archive.
Look out for part two of the “Gidra” collection later in March.
