A Note From Willy

To commemorate their 45th anniversary, Puffer Reds has teamed up with adidas for a second collaboration, this time putting a unique spin on the adistar Cushion. Twenty years since the first one, this partnership serves as the pinnacle of Puffer Reds’ journey through the adidas Business Track, an initiative launched to empower community-rooted retailers with hands-on experience in footwear design and innovation.

In celebration of the launch, the Ypsislanti store transformed into a time capsule speaking to the journey and influence of Puffer Reds’ music and fashion influence both in Michigan and beyond. Later that evening they took over the iconic Diamondback Music Hall with DJs and live performances for a night that perfectly rounded out the day, and the partnership with adidas.

office sat down with Dwight Ross from Puffer Reds to find out more about the collaboration.

So how does it feel to see everything come together and have everyone here to see the shoe?

Kind of like a dream come true because I've been into shoes ever since I was in high school, but now I'm 40 years old, so it's definitely a dream come true.

What are your earliest memories of Puffer Reds?

Midnight Madness. They used to have a sale called Midnight Madness where the store would stay open until midnight or later and they would run all through the day. I just remember they used to have ads on the radio when I was a kid.

How long has this collaboration with adidas been in the works?

A year… Since last March, so more than a year.

And have you guys been hands-on? How was the design process with adidas in terms of freedom and creativity?

They were a great partner to work with. Even throughout the restrictions that they provided us, we still came out with a remarkable product.

Obviously Puffer Reds is a lot more clothing focused now. How do you feel like the sneaker references Puffer Red's music history? Where do you see the music in it?

Well, on the insole, we have a tape, a CD, and a record to illustrate the growth of music in general. We were going to do an iPod or something to show where music is at now, but we thought that would've kind of been over the top.

Right, keep it at its roots. Looking at the younger generations now walking into the store, do you feel like they understand and appreciate the importance of Puffer Reds and its legacy?

We hope so. And if they don't understand now, hopefully this shoe will go a long way in helping them to see.

It's been always rooted in the Detroit and Ypsilanti area. How do you feel like the collaboration stays true to the community here?

To be honest, we kind of weren't trying to represent Detroit. We were trying to represent Ypsilanti. Now we're a metro Detroit city, but most shoes that come out from our area always celebrate Detroit. We wanted to really celebrate where we're at, which is Ypsilanti.

And show that difference, I guess.

Yeah. All while showing love to Detroit, because we are still a part of the atmosphere of Detroit, but we wanted to make this shoe kind of for the people out here that kind of get undervalued or not shown no love.

Looking back, do you feel like there's a defining moment in Puff Red's history that led to this collaboration?

Well, 20 years ago was our first shoe. We had an adidas Forum 20 years ago that we produced, so that probably was our 25 year anniversary. So I mean, I think this celebrates 45 perfectly.

With retail and buying sneakers becoming so digital and online, what do you think the importance of an independent physical store like this is in terms of sneaker culture?

I mean, buying shoes online is always going to be easy, but nothing's ever going to beat  coming to talk to somebody like me who can give you a little knowledge about the shoe that you are buying. You can't get that from the internet.

What do you hope Puffer Reds continues to represent for Ypsilanti?

Oh, we continue to grow and just keep putting on for the city because we've been here for 45 years. It's not a lot of black people who own businesses and just the fact that he's been doing it for 45 years, we want to make that be a hundred years.

Do you see more sneaker collaborations in the future?

I hope so, for sure. I hope so. I wish that was up to us.

I mean, if you keep doing cool collaborations, I'm sure they're going to come back. 

Yeah, that's the goal.