Hey-shoe-wow: Cape Town creative gives Puma sneakers a cosmic makeover

19 January 2017 - 13:14 By Beth Vale
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Graphic designer Daniel Ting Chong has collaborated with Puma on a range of African cosmology-inspired sneakers, writes Beth Vale

Wandering through Cape Town's V&A Waterfront over the holidays, I collided with an unusual hive of activity: a rapidly-growing line of expectant shoppers had converged outside the closed entrance to the Puma store. They'd come in anticipation of Boxing Day sales. But despite price cuts of up to 50% at numerous clothing stores in the mall, Puma was the only store that had a queue out front.

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Young South Africans care about sneakers and sneaker culture. Like many other trend-obsessed young people across the world, South Africans have been known to camp for hours for limited-edition Nikes. But despite the time, resources, and modes of expression that we dedicate to sneaker culture, we've not been very invested in our local takkie scene - and indeed local releases.

We've seen some outstanding artistic collaborations - New Balance and Dr Zulu, Eytys and Esther Mahlangu, Nike and Lazi Greiispaces - but they often don't get the attention they deserve.

At the end of last year, Puma added to the list with a collaboration with Cape Town artist, illustrator and graphic designer Daniel Ting Chong. Ting Chong studied at Vega, emerging as a treasured creative talent who has worked with large brands including Nike, The New York Times and Red Bull.

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In his most recent sneaker collaboration, Ting Chong has re-imagined the Puma Duplex OG and Duplex Evo through the filter of African cosmology. The OG redesign was inspired by the mythical Zulu supreme creator, Unkulunkulu.

"Unkulunkulu sent a chameleon to earth to tell the human race that they'd be immortal," says Ting Chong. "But the chameleon became slow and lazy on his journey, so Unkulunkulu sent a lizard to earth to convey the message that there would be death."

The moral of the story is that we should live to pursue our highest potential - to grasp the time we have, says the designer.

Ting Chong explains that the Duplex OG was the first of its kind, inspiring the silhouette for many other sneakers in the Puma brand's stable.

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Ting Chong's Duplex Evo, with its snakeskin mesh, draws on the legend of Mamlambo, the Xhosa goddess of rivers. "Mamlambo is well suited to the Duplex Evo because she is representative of the synthesis of various species," he says. "The Duplex Evo is a hybrid created from different materials and technology."

Both sneaker designs are emblazoned with a limited-edition logo that is different to the generic cat logo usually associated with Puma.

Ting Chong's Pumas are a blend of cutting-edge design and traditional iconography, grounded greens and sky-high imagination. —  bubblegumclub.co.za

• This article was originally published in The Times.

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