The PUMA Arizona trainer is an OG Made in Taiwan training shoe which was originally released in the 1970s shortly after Rudolph Dassler passed away.
Maybe it was a bit of bitter brotherly thing, but just like Adi Dassler drew inspiration from places & cities for names of his trainers, so did Rudolph with PUMA. Between them they have probably just about covered every major city across the world in terms of naming their shoes. For example from PUMA we've had
the likes of the Madrid, the Oslo City, the Palermo, the Mallorca, the Dallas, the California, the Panama, the Malibu, the Indiana & the PUMA Arizona trainer to name a few. adidas have also given us numerous capitals & cities courtesy of the City Series as well as even introducing a lesser known Island series. Maybe it was just a one-up type of scenario, which in essence what the PUMA & adidas rivalry was all about. At no other point in the history of trainers & sportswear have two brothers battled it out on a global stage like Adi & Rudolph did. From a parents perspective no one wants a bitter sibling rivalry, but as far as trainers goes it actually fuelled what have become some of the greatest trainer releases of all time.
Above: The PUMA Arizona OG trainer in peacoat navy/neon yellow now available from 80s Casual Classics.
The 1970s was where PUMA really started to stamp their authority on the trainer world. Switching manufacturing to Yugoslavia (some PUMA collectors claim this to be golden era of releases) the 1970s saw the original release of the Clyde with New York Knicks legend Walt Frazier Clyde in 1974 as well football endorsement deals with the likes of Pele & G'nter Netzer. In 1974 Rudolph Dassler also sadly passed away with his sons taking the reins of the Bavarian born sportswear brand & Slazenger taking over UK distribution. 1976 saw PUMA also started to manufacture their shoes in Taiwan which is where the likes of the PUMA Arizona trainer were born. Given a nod to the southwestern U.S. state, the Arizona trainer is an OG running shoe which featured suede uppers & a more streamlined silhouette for speed. The extra grippy rubber outsole was also super versatile for different types of running whether it was on the track or on the road. 
Above: The PUMA Arizona OG trainer in peacoat navy/neon yellow now available from 80s Casual Classics. Now revived from the Herzogenaurach archives, the PUMA Arizona trainer is treated to a very special re-release. Featuring the original sleek silhouette design of the 1970s release, the Arizona boasts navy (peacoat) suede uppers with contrasting neon yellow highlights to the formstrip and midsole. Other highlights include a super grippy rubber outsole alongside PUMA cat branding to the tongue, with 'Arizona' in gold foiling to the sidewalls. Shop the very special archive release now at 80s Casual Classics via the links.
