NEW YORK, NY (May 2, 2017) — 1800 Tequila, the 100% agave premium tequila, has partnered with Global Sports Brand PUMA and California-based artist Sam Rodriguez to launch a limited edition colorway of iconic PUMA Clyde sneaker. Since its creation in the early seventies, inspired by and first worn by basketball legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier, the PUMA Clyde has been produced in multiple colorways and in a wide variety of styles. This special drop features custom artwork inspired by the iconic tequila brand.
To design the 1800 Tequila x PUMA x Sam Rodriguez custom sneaker, PUMA and Rodriguez have sourced inspiration directly from 1800 Tequila and its rich Mexican heritage, merging this with Rodriguez’s signature street-style prints. The upper features an original graffiti pattern in 1800’s iconic blue and silver color palette, developed by Rodriguez to reference the art of Mexico’s indigenous Aztec and Mayan cultures. The sneakers are then finished with a suede toe and silver heel tab. The result is a unique twist on the classic “Clyde” model – one of the world’s first fashion sneakers created to reflect former basketball player Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier’s unique, uncompromising, and groundbreaking spirit and style in 1973.
A man of similar unique and uncompromising spirit, Sam Rodriquez has been creating street-style art out of San Jose, California for over a decade. He rose as a self-taught artist through the local graffiti scene before honing his skills at California College of Arts, studying fine art. He has become known for using his raw talent and refined knowledge to bolster his work as a platform for his interest in social, historic and cultural hybridity. Even with his formal training, Sam has never lost sight of his graffiti influences and roots in urban culture – it is for this reason, along with his unique ability to blend high and low, that Rodriguez was selected as the ideal creator to design a sneaker meant to represent a cross-section of refinement and edge.
“I’m honored to be a part of this project, and to be combining my art with two iconic cultural entities,” says Sam Rodriquez. “I have a passion for both world history and contemporary culture which manifests itself in my art. Tequila is made from a plant that’s native to Mexico, which inspired me to create a design inspired by indigenous Mexican cultures and merge it with the contemporary edgy art, fashion and hip hop cultures that both 1800 Tequila and PUMA celebrate. This sneaker is a study of those cultures, from past through to present.”
Through partnerships such as this, 1800 Tequila seeks to create new cultural conversations with unique programs that celebrate contemporary urban art and style. The brand is committed to working with uncompromising, authentic and multi-faceted creators – both established and rising – who possess similar values to the 1800 brand: hard work, passion, honesty, and staying true to oneself.
The 1800 Tequila x PUMA x Sam Rodriguez custom sneakers are limited to only 1,000 pairs available solely through 1800 Tequila and will be released exclusively on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th).