The PUMA Army Trainer Gets The OG Suede Treatment

The PUMA Army Suede trainer adds the signature suede uppers of the German sportswear brand to the original military training shoe.

There's not many trainers out there where the origins are not 100% known. It's usually pretty straight forward who designed the silhouette whether we're talking about Tinker Hatfield and the very first Nike Air Max 1 or Shigeyuki Mitsui and the ASICS Gel-Lyte III. The thing is when it comes to the original Germany Army trainer, or GAT as it also referred to, it's origins aren't that straight forward. It's always been a toss up between PUMA & adidas at a time when the Dassler brothers bitter rivalry was still ongoing. After years of battling it out on the tracks, the football pitches and the Handball courts to get the worlds elite athletes to wear their performance shoes, the 1970s saw the original German Army trainer get lost somewhere in translation. We're not talking about the shoe, we're talking about who actually designed it. This latest PUMA Army Suede trainer to arrive at 80s Casual Classics adds the signature suede uppers to the original military training shoe. Above: The PUMA Army Suede trainer in stone/dark tan now available from 80s Casual Classics. The Germany Army trainer first came on the scene back in the 1970s. However as mentioned previously it's not 100% who actually designed the shoe. The Museum of Military History in Dresden, Germany apparently has records which prove the very first GAT was in fact designed by PUMA. Some might claim that it was actually adidas that designed the GAT, but when the Soviet Union fell in 1989, the GAT became obsolete. Original models of the GAT from the 1970s & 1980s can be found online, however the description is usually something like ñGerman Army Trainers By adidas/Pumaî. Designed for the German military to wear during indoor training the actual design of the GAT was pretty simple featuring soft leather uppers with suede overlays & a gum rubber sole unit. The signature T-toe detailing also featured on a range of iconic PUMA & adidas trainer styles from the same era. Above: The PUMA Army Suede trainer in stone/dark tan now available from 80s Casual Classics. PUMA recently revived the Germany Army trainer from the Herzogenaurach archives with the original military silhouette resurfacing as PUMA's very own. Given a nod to the original GAT from the 1970s, the Army trainer now gets the signature suede treatment with stone suede uppers and contrasting formstrip in dark tan. Featuring suede overlays alongside the famous t-toe detailing to the front, the PUMA Army Suede trainer puts a classic B-Boy spin on the original military training shoe. Shop the classic PUMA trainer now via the links above.