{"id":365579,"date":"2014-02-28T13:04:53","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T19:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=365579"},"modified":"2018-12-31T10:32:39","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T15:32:39","slug":"interview-walt-frazier-talks-fashion-enduring-legacy-of-the-puma-clyde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/interview-walt-frazier-talks-fashion-enduring-legacy-of-the-puma-clyde\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Walt Frazier Talks Fashion & Enduring Legacy of the PUMA Clyde"},"content":{"rendered":"
Research and movies, such as John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever<\/em>, reveal that platform shoes, wide-legged, flared jeans and the overall “disco look” basically summed up ’70s fashion. Well, that, three-piece suits, wide-collar shirts and wide-brim hats; all of which serve as representations of one of the most notable figures during that decade, Walt “Clyde” Frazier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, Frazier, considered the NBA’s original fashion icon, is just as synonymous with fashion as he is with the timeless PUMA Clyde<\/strong>, the 40+ year-old staple silhouette that will never fade. The Clyde is fashion, and fashion is the Clyde. We recently engaged in a light-hearted yet lively conversation with Frazier about the PUMA Clyde’s continuous reign, the evolution of fashion and his fondest memories of life in the ’70s.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0You’re considered one of the NBA’s first fashion icons and you always thought futuristically in that regard, but did you foresee still being associated with the PUMA Clyde 40 years later?<\/b><\/p>\n Walt Frazier<\/b>: Not at all. At the time when they approached me about the shoe, I was just happy to get paid. Back in the day, the brands were giving the athletes some shoes, but no one was actually getting paid to wear them. The shoe became so successful, and I’m just glad that PUMA decided to attach my name to such a classic shoe. I never envisioned still being associated with the Clyde some 40 years later.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Why do you think the Clyde sustained its popularity over time both on and off the court?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>: I think it’s just a timeless design. We brought the shoe out in different materials and colors and that’s why it has become such a fashion-oriented shoe on and off the court. For one of the ads I did for PUMA, I was dressed in my mink coat, a wide-brim hat and my Clydes. I think a lot of guys saw that and took a liking to it. Ironically, that’s how the athletes dress today – a dressed-up look with sneakers.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>: The Clyde is<\/strong>\u00a0still a very popular shoe now, but describe its initial claim to fame.<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0I remember it being very successful in New York, but I never envisioned still being associated with the Clyde some 40 years later.\u00a0In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, we sold so many shoes that we didn’t even need the rest of the country. So, it was just a phenomenon how they couldn’t keep the shoes in the store.\u00a0Everyone is always talking about Air Jordans, but before Air Jordans, there was the Clyde.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0When did you first realize the worldwide admiration for the PUMA Clyde?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0Well, when I used to go around and make in-store appearances, the sales associate would always tell me that they couldn’t keep the shoe on the shelves. Everywhere I went, I saw people wearing them, but the break-dancers brought the shoe back in the ’80s in my opinion. I credit them for making the Clyde popular again. I would see so many of them wearing it in the ’80s, but none of them knew that I was the guy behind them.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0And before the Clyde, there was the PUMA Basket. How did the transition from the Basket to the Clyde initially affect your on-court performance?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0Yeah, the PUMA Basket was heavy and not flexible at all. It was a clumsy shoe that I didn’t have too much success playing in. So then PUMA gave me the opportunity to help them design a new shoe for myself. I told them that I wanted a lighter shoe with more flexibility and that’s pretty much how the PUMA Clyde was born. It was something I was more accustomed to wearing on court.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0I know technology has evolved since you’re playing days, but if you were still active today, is that a shoe you’d consider wearing on court?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0I think the leather version would be appropriate to play in right now if I was still in the league. Obviously, I played in suede versions. We wore low tops, but I had a few high tops as well that I probably would’ve worn today. I remember PUMA making me a high-top, Knicks-colored Clyde, which was all-orange with a blue stripe. They were made exclusively for me, but the public really wanted it to release. It was like my first player exclusive.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0What are your other fondest memories of being a part of the PUMA team in the ’70s?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>: Well, I remember\u00a0PUMA also having Joe Namath with football and Reggie Jackson with baseball on the team, but obviously kids don’t go through shoes as fast in those sports. These days, a kid comes through my basketball camp and in two weeks they’ll burn through a pair of shoes. I used to sell 10 times as many shoes as those guys were selling.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Speaking of, how many shoes did you usually go through during a typical season?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0Every four or five games, I’d change a pair. I never really liked to wear a brand new pair for the game. I was always switching out colors between home and away games. I had a few white-based pairs for the home games and some blue-based ones for the away games. I also switched out my shoelaces from game to game, and I think I set a trend with that as well. The Clyde’s shoelaces are really thick, so that’s the first thing you saw when looking down at my feet. I had a lot of orange, blue and white shoelaces that I switched out regularly.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Let’s get into fashion. Which current NBA player reminds you of yourself when it comes to setting trends with styles of dress? Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0I’ve been watching Dwyane Wade a lot. I’ve always thought that I had an eccentric style, and Wade reminds me of myself. I used to see pics of Dwyane Wade wearing nice hats and suits when he was winning championships with Shaq. He’s a very stylistic guy, and I like his style of play on the court as well. There are a lot of players, like Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, that dress well too. I think Shaq dressed well when he was around. The thing about basketball players is they’re like models; all of them are tall and slim, so they’re going to look good in pretty much anything they wear. Also, basketball is synonymous with hip-hop, music, style, creativity, individuality and trash-talking. Everyone has their different styles, but a lot of people try to dress like the ball players and do everything like them. It works both ways though. Growing up, our idols were the Four Tops and The Temptations. When those guys performed, they wore suits and ties. Today, these guys idolize the rappers, so they’re a little more casual in their style of dress. Music has always had an impact on basketball players and the way they dress.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Which former NBA player sparked your interest of fashion?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0When I first came in, it was Dick Barnett without a doubt. He was a sharp dresser and had a different style. Even the way he shot his free throws – I don’t know if you ever saw the way he kicked his foot back – was unique and stylish. \u00a0People tried to emulate everything about him from his style off court to his shooting form.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Even though you tried to emulate Mr. Barnett, what set your style apart from him and others during your time in the NBA?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0When I came to the Knicks fresh out of college, I was wearing penny loafers and buttoned down collar shirts, but my teammates were wearing custom shoes, custom suits and custom-made shirts with monograms on them. So, I used to go to their tailors and their shirt makers to get the same kind of things done. We were always trying to out dress one another on our team. We had competitions off the court as well, but the hats are what set me apart. One day I was in Baltimore, Maryland, and I saw a brown velour Bossalini hat that really caught my eye.\u00a0It was a wide-brim hat, but at the time most people were wearing narrow-brim hats.\u00a0 So, my teammates and guys from the opposing team laughed at me the first time I wore it, but I really liked it.\u00a0That really started my hat craze.\u00a0Two weeks later, the movie Bonnie & Clyde came out, and that’s where my nickname originated. I, like Clyde in the movie, was wearing the wide-brim hats with custom suits. I used to steal the ball on the court a lot, so people compared my defense to Bonnie and Clyde being bank robbers.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0I’ve seen fashion choices lately, and it seems they have gotten even more bizarre. How would you incorporate the PUMA Clyde into your current style?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>: Well, have you seen my cow suit?<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Yes, I’m actually looking at an image of it right now.<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>: [Laughs] Well, yeah.\u00a0I’d probably be wearing some cow-print PUMA Clydes today. It’ll be something really different. That would be my pizzazz, you know, with the different colors and animal print. I always say the Knicks should let me design their uniforms. It’s New York, man. We should have 4-5\u00a0provocative, loud uniforms. That’s what New York is all about.\u00a0When I watched the All-Star game this year, I paid close attention to the uniforms and was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It’s the All-Star game, man. They should’ve had something very different. It was too conservative in my opinion.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0How would you compare and contrast your style with Craig Sager?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0Craig is like me. He has a very provocative style with different colors, but my style is better because I have a better-looking body [laughs]. I’m taller and slimmer, so I have an edge there, but I have to give him kudos though. He wears some nice stuff. Maybe next year, since the All-Star game is going to be in New York, I might have a dress-off challenge with Craig. I think that would be interesting and fun. Maybe we can do something for charity to raise some money.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day<\/b>:\u00a0Any last words about the PUMA family?<\/b><\/p>\n Frazier<\/b>:\u00a0The brand is just ingenious, and that’s why they’ve survived for 40 years. They don’t just rest on their laurels, and they’re always trying to do something different. Even when they brought me back in the picture, they widened the toe and the heel to make the Clyde a tad bit more up-to-date. It now has an overall fresher look and different feel. I’m very proud of PUMA’s creativity.\u00a0I just can’t believe we’re here talking about the Clyde some 40 years later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Research and movies, such as John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever, reveal that platform shoes, wide-legged, flared jeans and the overall “disco look” basically summed up ’70s fashion. Well, that, three-piece suits, wide-collar shirts and wide-brim hats; all of which serve as representations of one of the most notable figures during that decade, Walt “Clyde” Frazier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1225473,1135],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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