I recently had the opportunity to work on a collaboration between Puma and 1800 Tequila. It was a bucket-list project of mine because I have always wanted to design my very own Puma Clyde. It felt great to give art direction, from choosing materials, colors, and doing a custom illustration for a classic shoe that I sported during my formative years as a teenager doing graffiti. Below is more information about the project and a video by Hypebeast about the design process.
Words From Hypebeast: Following an early preview of the 1800 x Sam Rodriguez x PUMA “Cinco de Mayo” Clyde , we now have a full on-feet look at the collaborative sneaker. Detailed close-ups of the special edition Walt Frazier classic reveal the intricacies of Sam’s signature art. The line drawing all-over print remixes Aztec and Mayan imagery from hundreds of years ago and contemporary graffiti style graphics. While Sam’s work takes the foreground, a royal blue formstrip overlay contrasts the backdrop of the primarily light blue upper. Details are rendered in metallic silver and the color scheme as a whole nods to 1800 Tequila’s recognizable bottle and logos. Sam’s signature appears on the insole and tongue, and a metal 1800 embossed lacelock completes the package.
The triple collab is limited to 1,000 pairs and will not see an in-store or online release. Instead you can text “1800” to “55755” and check out more information on the official rules to get your hands on a pair.