From the Nineties to Now: A History of Firsts
Decades of innovation: how PUMA changed the game across sports
August 11, 2026
Building on nearly 80 years of trendsetting technologies, PUMA has proven that real innovation also requires a commitment to seeing things differently.
In the second of this two-part series, we explore how PUMA’s engineers and designers have made bold choices to make athletes perform at their best and set new industry trends.
In the second of this two-part series, we explore how PUMA’s engineers and designers have made bold choices to make athletes perform at their best and set new industry trends.
The Nineties – Micro-adjustments and iconic street style
Ditching the laces
PUMA was among the first sports brands to consider lace alternatives in the 1960s. 1991 brought a whole new revelation: the first DISC lacing system, allowing for custom fitting with a simple twist.The internal cable network – linked to connecting sleeves and stabilising elements to create the comfiest fit possible – is still being refined today.
PUMA XS 7000 shoe with DISC system
Ad from 1992 explaining the PUMA DISC system
First to blur the line between sports and fashion
Long before luxury-sportswear crossovers became well known – and before trainers were on everyone’s feet 24/7 – PUMA pioneered the movement. In 1998, PUMA became the first sports brand to merge high performance with high fashion through a landmark collaboration with star designer Jil Sander.
By reimagining the iconic KING football boot into a sleek lifestyle sneaker, the partnership proved athletic footwear belonged in fashion.
This historic move paved the way for a new era of sports-lifestyle icons and collaborations, including the bold Mostro, and the motorsport-inspired Speedcat in 2000.
JIL SANDER x PUMA KING
The Noughties – rewriting the rules and breaking records
The first sleeveless – and seamless – kits
PUMA challenged uniform traditions twice in four years with Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions. In 2002, PUMA equipped the team with the world’s first sleeveless football jersey. Praised by players for its freedom of movement, the radical kit carried Cameroon to victory in the African Cup of Nations. FIFA stepped in before the World Cup later that year. The jerseys needed to be adjusted, adding black sleeves in order to apply the official tournament patches.
Cameroon national team wearing PUMA's sleeveless football jerseys in 2002
PUMA doubled down at the 2004 AFCON with the UniQT – a revolutionary one-piece kit designed to eliminate bulk and make shirt-grabbing nearly impossible. FIFA imposed fines and point deductions, stating the kit needed separate shirts and shorts, and changing their regulations afterwards. PUMA supported Cameroon in the dispute that ended in a compromise and a shared donation to a football development project in the country.
Cameroon national team wearing PUMA's UniQT in 2004
World-first aerodynamics for the world’s fastest man
At the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Usain Bolt made history by shattering his own 100m world record, clocking in at an astounding 9.58 seconds. He later set a blistering 19.19 in the 200m. His winning margin of 0.62 seconds was the largest in Championship history.
Powering his record-breaking sprints? The COMPLETE SPRINT YAAM spike developed by a team of technicians who studied Bolt’s stride, foot form, and unique body kinetics. The spikes’ upper surface featured dimples inspired by a golf ball: a world-first aerodynamic feature designed to slice through air resistance.
Usain Bolt celebrating his still standing world record
…set in his COMPLETE SPRINT YAAM sprint spikes
The Tens – lightening the load, breaking the mould
Revolutionising Formula 1 footwear
When Formula 1 introduced stricter weight-reduction rules, PUMA responded with the world’s lightest motorsport racing shoe in 2013. Weighing just 99 grams per shoe, the design traded leather for ultra-light textile fabric while maintaining fire protection, comfort, and pedal feel. The shoe ushered in an iconic era of dominance, powering drivers to nine consecutive F1 World Championship titles.
PUMA F1 PRO SLW racing shoe
The first mismatched boots
Inspired by Cameroon legend Rigobert Song, who wore one yellow and one red PUMA boot at the 1998 World Cup, PUMA shook up the pitch ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with Tricks.Featuring a bright pink right boot and a vibrant blue left boot across the evoPOWER and evoSPEED lines, PUMA became the first brand to launch commercially available mismatched-colour football boots. Tricks turned heads and redefined bold; impossible to miss.
PUMA Tricks football boots
The Twenties – engineering the next era
Breaking the sole in two
Yet again splitting from traditional design, PUMA introduced the Fast-R NITROTM Elite in 2022. The first performance running shoe featuring a fully decoupled sole was held together by a curved carbon fibre PWRPLATE. 
PUMA Fast-R NITRO Elite
Combined with PUMA’s responsive NITROTM technology (nitrogen-injected foam for truly lightweight cushioning), the radical architecture maximised energy return and efficient responsiveness. The shoe has since powered athletes to victories and new records.
Finally: engineered for her
For decades, female football players had no choice but to squeeze into downsized men’s boots.PUMA first challenged this by introducing a women’s-specific boot in 1971 – the PUMA Pelérina.
Fifty years later, PUMA launched Women’s Fit. This first football boot collection was engineered from the ground up to match the specific anatomical demands and performance needs of female players: higher medial arch, optimised heel support, and truly flexible outsole.
The next generation: PUMA Women's Fit 2.0
2025: The first HYROX shoe
PUMA last year launched the first-ever purpose-built HYROX shoe: the PUMA Deviate NITRO™ Elite HYROX.Designed for the sport’s gruelling blend of running and functional fitness racing, the shoe features HYROX-tuned PUMAGRIP rubber (for explosive traction on indoor surfaces) and a widened carbon plate (for stability and energy return).
Athletes wearing the shoe rapidly accumulated major titles. Joanna Wietrzyk broke the Women’s Solo Pro record twice in quick succession.
PUMA Deviate NITRO™ Elite HYROX
PUMA athlete Joanna Wietrzyk setting a new Women’s Solo Pro World at the 2026 CENTR HYROX Phoenix
First is a mindset
Reflecting on nearly eight decades of transformation brings to mind a quote from Helmut Fischer (with PUMA since 1978, founder of the PUMA Archive and known as Mr PUMA):Helmut Fischer
“Everything has changed with constant innovation driving us forward.”
Innovation is a commitment to seeing things differently. Refusing to always follow the rules. Deciding to no longer settle for second best, but to welcome change.
Choosing disruptive engineering over predictable iterations is never the easy path – but it’s the choice that rewrites the record books.
Choosing disruptive engineering over predictable iterations is never the easy path – but it’s the choice that rewrites the record books.
From the pitch to the track, explore PUMA’s iconic legacy
A History of Firsts: 4 Decades of PUMA Innovation
PUMA has been challenging the status quo for nearly 80 years. Step behind-the-scenes of the early milestones that redefined athletic performance forever.
READ THE STORY
