Step by Step. Shoe Design and Development

By Susan Ryder, Owner, Susan Ryder Design

On February 2, 1982, I walked into the Nike Research and Development building to start a career as an industrial designer. I knew nothing about shoes. I swam for exercise. Nike was an innovative force at the time—and still is. I got the job as a founding member of the newly formed Advance Concept Lab in Exeter, New Hampshire, in part, by bringing a small flashlight to my portfolio interview which took place in a dark comedy club. They liked my work, but they thought the flashlight was hilarious. Nike was the first to bring industrial design’s problem-solving methodology to the shoe design process and I loved the intersection.

Now, I enjoy my work immensely as a footwear design consultant, as I have the opportunity to work on multiple aspects of shoe brand and product design. Some of my clients have only an idea, a dream and financing. With 40 years of designing shoes, I am now the “Old Shoe Dog,” and my working style is as hands on as it always has been–I still draw with a pencil and cut up samples to see how they are made! I’ll attempt to describe what I have learned in my 40 years of experience to illuminate the process for non-designers and for those who are footwear curious. Keep in mind that every project, client, resource set, timeline and scope will vary, which can impact the exact role of the designer at each phase.

The Kick-off Meeting

The start of a footwear project is similar to many other design projects—the client describes goals and scope, and how the finished product will make a difference in the marketplace. If the product is a full collection of shoes, we map out the number of styles and how they might form a coherent brand statement. We consider the consumer’s identity, their needs, expectations, and emotional connections. We choose the country of manufacture, price target, retail strategy, seasonality and timing and set sustainability goals. We answer the questions: why us? Why now?

Scarlett Chase, a new footwear brand, asked me to manage design and development in 2020. The owner wanted a line of luxury women’s dress shoes as comfortable as athletic shoes. She envisioned a CEO who could walk comfortably from her Paris hotel room to her office in a pair of heels high enough to make her feel powerful and fashionable. We dug deep into this character’s shoe selection process and came up with a list of benefits she would require, some of which involved inventing new ways to construct the classic pump. The line would consist of multiple styles: boots and pumps for fall, and sandals and slides for spring, and would be offered at a price point to support the finest leathers and textiles available.

It’s a mature industry now, so how to keep fresh? Research!

It is the designer’s job to keep up with advancements in manufacturing and technology that allow for design opportunities. In the last few years, a great deal of innovation has focused on sustainability, such as Knit-to-Shape uppers that produce minimal waste. Shoes are normally made of die cut pieces of leather or textile that are overlapped and stitched together flat. Machines use heat and pressure to form them into the shape of the shoe. Factories are pretty good at fitting cutting dies together tightly to maximize material usage, but there is always a pile of scraps that needs to be recycled or thrown away. Alternatively, knit uppers are made like socks, already in the shape of the shoe, and simply need to be cemented to the bottom. No extra material is required.

Getting the colors right

It is important to take into account external market trends, especially when it comes to color. There are trend services that predict color and materials a few years in advance. It is up to the designer to decide to either follow these trends or to create a unique color palette. Companies may have core basic colors (browns, navy, tan, black) that are used season after season. “On-trend” colors can be saved for visual impact or for a specific trade channel. For instance, sandals may feature bright colors for the internet (because they can be seen easily), while neutral colors may apply for more conservative big box and independent retail outlets.

Ideation

In this phase, the designer will come up with multiple options for the shoe design. The first consideration is the shoe’s shape. The shape of the toe, the contours underfoot, and how much the shoe might cup the heel and the arch will determine the fit, style, and the shoe’s construction. The result is a plastic object called a “Last.” Look closely and you can see how the shape of a running shoe is different from that of a basketball shoe. A running shoe is made for repetitive forward movement; a basketball shoe needs to do that too, but also needs to promote lateral stability. The last on most running shoes is lifted higher in the heel for thicker cushioning while simultaneously moderating the impact of heel strike. Basketball shoes are wider to give more surface contact between the foot and the floor, thus giving traction while cutting left and right. All of those considerations go into designing the last.

The second consideration is the silhouette, where the designer must consider upper patterns and the outsole/midsoles/footbeds components and embellishments. We pick the leather or textile upper materials, the lining, threads, type of padding, perf hole size, stitches per inch etc. Trends can upend design, not just with aesthetics but also with function. For a time, minimalist design like barefoot running was trending, but recently massive bottom units like Hoka One One have pushed comfort and cushioning, taking sneaker design for a 180-degree turn. In a multiple shoe collection, the design drawings are organized the way they might be merchandised. Typically, a collection has one design for the cost intense, underfoot molded components. There are multiple designs for the less costly uppers. One bottom and four to six upper styles is common. Each style might be executed in five colors for a total of 30 shoes or Stock Keeping Units (SKU) in the collection. All have to look good on their own, tell the collection’s story, and fit within the brand.

The Concept Comes to Life

Aetrex wanted to make a line of sandals based on their market dominating footbed orthotic. Our first step was to focus on the needs of the consumer, both physically and emotionally. In this ideation, a woman with mild to moderate foot pain needed an everyday sandal. The shoe would have to fit a great many foot types and accommodate unique foot issues such as bunions and arch problems. The line would come in only one width, so the shoe would require fit flexibility from widths B to D. Since everyone’s foot shape is different and foot shape changes over the course of the day, the materials chosen for parts underfoot needed to be soft and accommodating while also providing support. We chose Polyurethane cushioning material that resists compression set (bottoming out) topped with slow compression/ slow recovery memory foam to mold to the unique shape of the consumer’s foot, as well as provide that essential step-in comfort. Fashion trends are important to this consumer, and it was important to have a product that made her feel good about herself. We sculpted the shape of the sandal to be as flattering as possible, while avoiding pressure points around bunion areas and providing obvious structural support. Current trends at the time of that project involved relaxed textures and colors derived from nature, such as neutral colors and grainy unvarnished leather paired with cork. We found leather suppliers with products that fit that description. Urethane molders that would be open to modifying existing techniques and combining foams. We developed unique footbed shapes to make Aetrex’s most popular orthotic into a line of great looking sandals. The line was a success with independent retailers and is still available today.

Documentation

Each product in the collection needs comprehensive specs to tell the manufacturer’s sample room how to make the sample. We document all views of each product including cross sections, make detailed drawings of anything that requires further explanation, note material sources by source, article number, and Pantone numbers, and create blueprints of anything molded. Last shapes are described. There are a number of ways to communicate the design to the factory including sketching directly on the last, Adobe Illustrator, or the use of 3D software. All specs are made in an agreed upon sample size: typically women’s 7 and men’s 9.

Prototyping

These details are sent to the sample factory in the form of a “Tech Pack.” Before Covid, most of us would travel to the factory and work with the last makers, pattern people and mold technicians to supervise the sampling process. If the shoe is relatively straight forward, you might get it in two or three revisions. If it’s not, several more are likely. Designers in large shoe companies may be shaking their heads at this last paragraph. They may have resources to skip all of this and make 3D images or 3D printed versions of their shoe concepts. This saves a lot of time and several trial rounds. All decision makers can be on board before a sample run is made. Eventually though, a wearable shoe sample must be fabricated in order to confirm fit to the foot and to ensure the shoe is tested in the intended environment.

Line Review

As the collection is readying for mass production, the marketing process kicks off. So far, the goal has been to get one perfect sample of each style in one color in a sample size. Once this single pair of shoes is confirmed, samples in other colors and materials are made and reviewed. A final line review will look like a table full of samples laid out the way they would be merchandised in a store. Decision makers may be marketers, sales people, other designers and developers, and the executive suite. Sometimes a company will bring in key retailers to give opinions and direction. All the work, the countless hours comes down to the designer being able to sell his or her vision. Chris Kittle, former VP of Design at Sperry Top-Sider and Cole Haan, writes, “Part of the designers’ job is to be able to sell their ideas. They need to be able to answer the question of what is new about their design, to truly believe in it and be able to communicate it.”

Testing and Commercialization

At this point in the process, the sampled shoe sizes are six or seven for women and size nine for men. All shoes are evaluated for fit and feel. Shoes are tested in their intended context or environment. Testers wear the shoe for about a month and report on any necessary changes. If there are issues, the designs are modified and samples are made again. Once the model is “fit & design” approved at sample size, the next step is the extreme size trial. Here the shoes are graded to a few sizes bigger and a few sizes smaller and tested again.

In the meantime, the factory creates a cost breakdown sheet to ensure the shoes are within the price targets. Here we may make subtle fabrication adjustments to affect manufacturing quality and price: Changing a seam location can make a big difference in optimizing material yields and reducing waste in production. 

Duty rates of products coming into the US vary widely. A shoe made of majority leather will cost 10% duty, while a shoe made of textile can cost over 30% duty. The design of the shoe is absolutely influenced by manufacturing adjustments and duty rates.

Pre-Production

Once the extreme size trial is approved for fit, cost and aesthetics, the full-size run is graded. Patterns, gauges, proportions, material physical properties are checked for consistency across the size run. That’s generally 12 sizes for women, 13 for men, or some combination if there is unisex sizing. All molds need to be opened and approved. Designers don’t often participate in the process during pre-production unless a problem crops up.

All the critical ‘extras’

Designers are also responsible for the packaging of shoes, which is important for both shoe protection and brand identity. Logos, box graphics, printed tissue paper, how the shoe is stuffed to maintain shape in the box, and the box itself must have a consistent aesthetic.

This is how it’s done…for now

So much has changed since 1982. Industrial designers were rare, and our problem-solving methodology was novel. Interest in learning about shoe design has mushroomed and college level courses on the subject are easy to find. I am thrilled by the energy and creativity of the new generation of designers. In particular, I am amazed to see the innovation on environmental impact and waste management. Forty years from now, I wonder what will change in the design process and how the industry will be better. 

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How to build a future-ready product archive

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By Erin Narloch, Founder & Consultant, PastForward Head of Web3, Enwoven

Background & The Challenge

When I joined Reebok in the summer of 2016, their archive project was already underway. The project had transformed from taking place in a single office room in an outbuilding with an archive consisting of only ten shoes, to an expansive space in a then sprawling suburban Boston campus. The archive team consisted of two parttime temporary staff members who had graduated from their previous intern roles and one intern. They sat on a holding of confirmation samples, historic pieces, advertisements, documents, and ephemera. This collection held incredible potential; it became my role to unleash it.

The term “brand archive” in this article references a brand’s physical product archives, especially ones that are utilized throughout the seasonal design process. Brand Archives can comprise a variety of physical assets, documents, catalogs, commercials, products, ephemera, advertisements, design drawings, and more. Archives are important in cracking the “Viewing Vacuum,” a term widely utilized within the cultural sector, which refers to viewing an object today without its context, inherent historic material culture, value, or use.

So why was Reebok interested in creating a brand archive? If done successfully, Reebok, its employees (past and present), brand partners, media outlets, sneakerheads, and fans could tell stories, build products, and create marketing strategies and activations in a more authentic way, leading to increase brand awareness and confidence.

The question remained: How do you build and position an archive to hold and grow brand value in an increasingly iterative, digital minutia-laden world?

 These are the steps we took at Reebok to position its product archive for the future.

The Reebok Archive Design Process: Lean in with curiosity

During my first months, I set forth a plan, beginning with researching the intranet’s organizational charts and identifying key stakeholders and decision makers. The individuals represented the brand’s activities, general managers of key business units and leadership within marketing, product, design, creative direction, and legal departments. Once I outlined a set of individuals, I set up meetings with each of them. As a researcher at heart, I sifted through the online organizational charts and acquainted myself with who I could meet. When I met with them, I’d ask a set of standardized questions: Do you utilize the archive today? If so, how? How could we support your workflows & processes? What would a successful archive look like to you? Is there anything about Reebok’s past that you’d like to know more about?

In many cases, I was met with the “I don’t know,” even from individuals like the senior director of marketing for the heritage product line. I immediately followed up with more openended questions such as, “Can you tell me more about how your team creates marketing briefs?” In the moment, I’d often make suggestions as to how the archive could provide a value-add to the process, such as “Do you think it would be helpful if the archive team provided examples of historic advertisements that took on either the same product, creative angle, or target audience?” I’d also write down all of the words and acronyms I wasn’t familiar with to learn later. I knew to “fit in,” I needed to adopt the corporate lingo.

Erin Narloch, presenting research on the running boom of the 1970s and the aerobics boom of the 1980s

Present a clear ROI

By the fall of 2016, I’d gathered enough evidence from my informational chats with stakeholders, observations of the working archive team, and insight into the brand’s future plans to present the business case for an official archive and team. I presented a proposal to my manager, VP of Reebok Futures, and HR. I clearly outlined the department’s mission, vision, goals, and a team structure. 

Roles covered the major activities of the brand, footwear and packaging, apparel and accesso-ries, and documents and advertisements. Team responsibilities were to dive-deep in their respec-tive collections and become authorities on them. I led brand-level storytelling initiatives and proj-ects. I positioned the archive as a brand-wide service provider, with a team of subject matter experts to support the major activities of the brand:

I also outlined what would be possible with a full-time permanent team: how we could divide and conquer and become even more knowledgeable and a greater-asset for the brand over time. Professionalizing the archive required an investment from the brand that delivered new support, expertise, and results.

Utilize business initiatives

The Archive benefited from two key business initiatives and events. In the fall of 2016, one initiative provided the budget for the archive to pilot digital storytelling with Enwoven, a Silicon Valley tech startup with New York Times backing. Investing in a digital storytelling platform was transformative for the archive. It provided the opportunity to tell stories to a global community, educate, engage, and shine a light on processes, little-known campaigns, and share the first-person narratives of previous designers, inno-vators, and the founder of Reebok. Each story was penned by the archive team, so visitors to the site had the benefit of hearing from the experts directly. By 2018, we launched SSO for the global organization, removing a barrier to entry.

Another key initiative of Reebok and our then parent company, Adidas, was moving operations from suburbia to the up-and-coming area of Boston’s Seaport. This was an immense move, during which the archive received unimaginable benefits. These benefits included donations, as individuals cleaned out their desks and workspaces. We developed an intake form that controlled the process and made it feel more secure. Designing an archive space in the new building was exhilarating. We worked directly with Gensler, discussing how we envisioned our future working space. The key aspects of the build included a meeting room framed with large panes of glass, where we could meet with employees, collaborators, even VIP visitors as well as present changing exhibitions (which complimented current milestones within the business). Beyond the meeting room, we had a large window into the archive that provided passersby an inside view into the always curious space of the physical archive. We now had a physical archive with humidity and temperature control, high-density mobile storage, and working spaces for each Archive team member. This space is centrally located between the product organization and creative direction, proving to be corporate real estate gold.

Democratize knowledge

As an archive team, we worked diligently to share what we knew and what we discovered and to respond to requests. This process helped to build community, trust, and a broad investment from Reebok. Over time, the digital archive became a global hub of activity: an onboarding tool, research tool, and the first line of inquest for many.

The concept of democratizing knowledge didn’t end with the Reebok community; over the course of five years, the archive showed up in numerous marketing activities of the brand, including in pop-up exhibitions spanning the US, Europe, and Asia, inspiring messaging and marketing campaigns globally and in-market, and contributing to the re-launch of the Reebok Human Rights Award in 2020-2021. The power of the archive became tangible because it was shared, not hidden away.

Contextualize Content

As mentioned before, the archive fights against the “Viewing Vacuum.” Within sneaker history, the archival process represented an opportunity to dig deeper and research the cultural implications of the time, a shoe’s commercial success, community adoption, or even material usage. Within the archive we worked hard to contextualize the collection’s holdings through outside experts, experiences that intersected with the collection, and secondary sources at the time. The value of a shoe’s context is found in both its commercial and cultural significance over time.

Digital-first mindset

Thinking digitally in the archive created a shorter runway to success. Scanning, photography, web-based collections management, and the digital archive tool placed much of our focus on how the research and knowledge we held could be shared digitally. This mindset meant that when COVID hit, we went remote, we were positioned to support our colleagues and requests without missing a beat. A great example of this was when the archive was included in hosting global virtual onboarding and lunch and learns; we utilized Microsoft Teams to record sessions, and the infrastructure provided by the digital archive allowed us to represent stories already in existence on the platform.

Having access to resident experts in the archive meant the space and its contents could be used to suppport business initiatives, it doesn’t mean others needed to be an expert to visit or find value in the archive. Key to its success, we didn’t layer in academic language, but rather considered the most inclusive ways to story tell. Thanks to my experience in early meetings, I researched and integrated the language of the business throughout my time with the archive. Personally, I use the phrase, “where memory meets imagination to fuel the future” to describe the archive. This notation epitomizes my approach to brand archives: it’s a nexus, where past, present, and future exchange with one another, and where colleagues and creatives find inspiration and confidence. It’s here in the in-between, time is suspended, and insight is found. This is the magic of brand archives, a future-proof approach to the dynamic exchange of the real, authentic, and not yet realized. And this is the reason I firmly believe brand archives will be even more significant in the future.

Photoshoot of Steve Jones’s 1985 World Record holding shoes (signed)

The Impact

Over the course of two and a half years (2016 – 2019), the Reebok Archive went from being housed in an outbuilding, to being centrally located and accessed by the product, design, marketing, creative direction, legal, and other departments. The Archive traveled from the periphery to a participant in the product creation process. The impact of the Reebok Archive is challenging to succinctly articulate. but it can easily be experienced in in the community it builds, the knowledge it shares, and the product and storytelling it reinforces. While Reebok has a long heritage to draw upon– since 1895!– it’s the living brand archive that keeps it dynamic, active, and tangible. I led Reebok’s Brand Archive for over five years; before that I spent two years at the adidas Brand Archive, and before that, over a decade in museums and cultural institutions. And while I’ve spent much of my career studying the past, it’s the application of this knowledge into the future I’m most excited about. I moved on from Reebok in January 2022 to step into the future.

I’m heading up the newly created Web3 practice at Enwoven, because I’m convinced there’s power in the medium’s future, especially for brands. The metaverse offers a direct to consumer communication channel that values dialogue in lieu of one-way pushes, calls for authentic storytelling, and encourages creativity. Other brand archivists and historians feel similarly about the space’s opportunities, like Catherine Acosta, product archivist and historian for Vans. Catherine noted, “Product archives and historical content in general will hold a special place within the metaverse because of their symbolic representations of past ideas and stories. The metaverse has the potential to emphasize the complex meanings of objects and the various things they represent to different people and cultures. Recontextualizing history and archives in this way, would not just allow history or historical content to encompass “the facts” but also the interpretation(s) of history itself—a meta-approach that can integrate micro and macro thinking, and allow for imaginative and creative relationships to develop to the past.”

Vanessa Ayer, Senior Image Specialist, Kohler Co., sees the benefits of Web 3 for product archives while also calling attention to the mindfulness needed around ownership and copyright laws in this emerging space. Vanessa explained, “The future of NFT’s can be great for product archives. NFT’s can be used to document the history of a company while also creating a connection with consumers—also giving them an opportunity to “own” a piece of history. However, brands would need to be mindful of ownership and copyright laws.”

Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Archives Content Developer, PMC errs on the side of optimistic caution when it comes to Web 3: “As exciting as this technology is (and not exactly new), I believe brand (product) archives can be beneficial in expounding product history and reengaging through a more exciting UX/UI experience. But should be careful in this space, especially with this new technology as a marketing tool for brands it’s still very much quality over quantity.”

Tracey Panek, Historian, and Director, Levi Strauss & Co Archives framed up her excitement through a recent application of technology at Levi’s. “One thing that excites me in my role as the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives Director is how to apply new digital technologies to our collection. We recently finished our first 3-D scanning project in the archives, capturing amazing images of five of our late 1800s Levi’s jeans that are nearly 150 years old. The detail is amazing, from the denim wear and fit to design details like the pocket stitching, but in a dimensionality we haven’t had before. I’ve been thinking of the myriad of potential uses—online exhibitions, design showrooms, in-house sample creation, or NFTs. I love the thought of blending history, design, and technology to inspire and excite new audiences. It opens a whole new world of possibilities!”

Regardless of where you sit as it relates to product archives, or the metaverse, this revolution is happening all around us in real time. I encourage you to invest in documenting your institution’s knowledge (think: product archive and IP on chain) and not to do so only to look back, but rather to boldly march into the future. When the real and authentic are transparently secured on the blockchain, we can collectively tell stories, share value, and engage in a new frontier for communication, extending a brand’s reach and meaning into the metaverse. See you in the future. 

Designing for a Cause: One Colorful Step at a Time

By Ann Williams, Creative Director – Product Design and Project Management, & Dean Schwartz, Co-Director

We’ve always believed that emotion and purpose are at the heart and soul of great design. When we established Schwilliamz in 2003, we brought this philosophy to a broader market, tapping into what we saw as an unmet demand in the footwear industry for design and strategy consulting services beyond what the typical freelancer might offer. Rather than just draw on demand, our aim was to offer clients all the benefits and capabilities of a full-service in-house design team without the long-term commitment and expense of maintaining a full-time department. We named ourselves Schwilliamz as a some-what tongue in cheek mashup of our surnames, aimed at conveying our unique combination of skills and experience.

Before Schwilliamz, Ann graduated with an Honorary Degree in Footwear Design from DeMontfort University in Leicester, England and gained extensive footwear industry experience working in the USA and the UK. An award-winning designer with an exceptional working knowledge of all facets of the footwear industry, Ann has a demonstrated ability to manage multiple major international projects and staff. Drawing on a liberal arts degree from Colby College and a background in advertising and retail, Dean monitors market and industry trends and is actively involved in the footwear design and development process, from product, market, and consumer research and insight to material, color, and prototype specifications.

It is the complementary combination of these experiences and capabilities that enables us to meet our clients’ needs quickly and seamlessly, whether it’s to supplement an in-house design team, provide a fresh perspective, enable expansion into new categories, or oversee the entire footwear design and development process.

Every so often, a design project perfectly aligns creative passion and technical skills with a deeper sense of meaning, and you realize that what drives you isn’t just professional attainment and commercial success, but also the understanding that somehow, on some scale small or large, what you do makes a difference in people’s lives.

Such was the case several months into lock-down when we were contacted by Lisa Carlin. Networking led Lisa to us, via a footwear industry leader with whom we’ve worked consistently over the years. We were immediately taken by Lisa’s positivity and upbeat personality, and we were genuinely intrigued by her concept of pairing footwear with her inspirational personal story and pledge to support others with similar experiences.

A few years ago, the mother of two young girls was thrown into a battle waged by 1 in 8 U.S. women: fighting breast cancer. Facing a double mastectomy, 8 doses of chemotherapy, and 6 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week, Lisa turned to an unlikely source for strength: a pair of hot pink ballet flats. Dreading the sterile hospital that she knew would become her home for several months, Lisa decided the old pair of ballets would adorn her feet every time she walked through the doors. “The bright hot pink color lifted my spirits, and always sparked conversation with other patients, nurses, and doctors. They gave me the feeling that I could power through what-ever was going to come my way.”

This sentiment really resonated with us. As designers, it’s no doubt great to receive positive feedback on a shoe’s aesthetics or comfort, but it’s truly wonderful when you learn your work brings confidence and a smile to someone.

Lisa fought and ultimately defeated breast cancer “one colorful step at a time.” She turned to us to help her create footwear that spread a feeling of empowerment and encouragement to other women fighting their fight now, just as the original pink ballet flats had done for her. The brand would be called “Poppies w/ Purpose™,” inspired by the quilt Lisa’s mother hand-stitched for her to use during treatments. The quilt was made from her great-grandmother’s “house coat” from the 1940’s, colorful fabric covered with bright poppy flowers. Continuing the theme, the brand’s tagline is “Live each day with a bit of fight and a pop of color.” Lisa had a pretty clear idea in her mind as to how she wanted the brand and shoe to look and feel, but she needed help making her vision a reality. This project was driven by a personal, emotional story and philosophy, rather than sales numbers. With her pitch document as our jumping off point, the three of us worked together to define and design a ballet flat with a cause.

As a Strategic Relationship Executive with MillerKnoll, Lisa had no footwear industry experience and needed a design partner who was not only highly creative, but also would help her navigate the arcane footwear development process and thrive in an increasingly challenging marketplace. 

Over the past 19 years, we’ve developed and fine-tuned a footwear design and development process that is accessible and applicable to established global brands and startups alike. In our experience, the basic framework is effectively the same across all categories, from first walkers and casual sneakers to hiking boots and high heeled pumps, whether designed with sketch pads and pencils or rendering software.

We recognize that each client is unique and that every project is different, and we tailor our process accordingly. By guiding them through clearly defined steps covering research and analysis, strategy, design and creative, prototyping and development, the client is confident that their voice and ideas are heard and understood, and, vitally, that they have a partner in whom they have confidence to make their vision and investment a reality. Understanding the many stages of footwear design and development, and navigating the nuances of the footwear industry, can be a challenge for anyone, especially those with no previous experience in the sector. To help flatten the learning curve, we have used our experience to develop a program specifically for startups.

Over the course of roughly 12 weeks, we work closely with the client to define and refine their vision, ultimately yielding a complete product design tech pack ready to hand off to the client’s chosen development and sourcing partners. Equally important, the client is better informed and prepared for the full development process outlined below. Lisa participated in this program and subsequently retained us to help her work directly with her selected development partner, ICB International. On paper, at least, the overall approach is relatively straightforward, essentially following the general phases of design thinking. In practice, unsurprisingly, the devil is in the details. No doubt there are challenges with any design project. Indeed, this is in part what makes the profession so fun and interesting. All due credit to Covid, you could say we’ve been spoiled by a wealth of new variables and obstacles. With a global client base, operating seamlessly and efficiently offsite has always been a fundamental part of our business since long before WFH entered everyone’s lexicon. Until the pandemic, however, we had never undertaken a project for which all work would need to be done entirely from afar, 100% remotely. To be honest, it’s not a situation we could have even contemplated.

Further complicating the project was the unpredictability Covid brought on in the forms of backed-up suppliers, reduced access to overseas sampling, slower and less reliable shipping, and manufacturing that had nearly ground to a halt. Major global interrupters can delay a process no matter how great the team you have in place, but there are nearly always workarounds. Under any circumstances, the highly collaborative nature of the design process requires regular, focused, and purposeful communication.

Incredibly, geography no longer called the shots; Covid meant that the tools and practices we used to collaborate successfully with clients on the other side of the globe were now equally relevant for clients just down the road. These include the usual suspects: video conferencing for real time communication, Loom and email for asynchronous communication, as well as project management and collaboration tools such as Monday and Calendly. Along with relatively old school Excel spreadsheets, these tools enable us to track communications and development progress for this project and others.

As always, of utmost importance are detailed briefs with clearly defined goals, objectives, timelines, and roles and responsibilities. Of course, Covid related travel restrictions ruled out meeting and working in person, so we lean heavily on remote collaboration tools to facilitate coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders, from the client to associated team members like developers, factories, sample rooms, suppliers, marketing/branding/advertising professionals and others. These tools have now become a crucial part of our footwear design and development process. Communication, transparency, shared purpose and values, and an aligned vision are a foundation of making a design process, remote or otherwise, work. Particularly in this case, as we wouldn’t even be able to meet with Lisa in person, even though she lives less than 20 miles away. Rather, all interaction would be virtual, taking remote collaboration to an entirely different level.

Though on the surface Lisa’s project was relatively straightforward, there were count-less, invisible practical factors that needed to be addressed and perfected, including the shoe’s fit, comfort, last shape, materials, and colors. Equally important, Lisa’s immensely personal story of hope, positivity, solidarity, strength, and survival would need to be incorporated into the ballet shoe. Though just a single silhouette, it needed to go through our full design and development process.

The first step, analysis and discovery, is gaining a thorough and thoughtful under-standing of the client’s needs and objectives. The client may provide a comprehensive design brief or we work together to detail needs and identify opportunities, determine deliverables, assign roles and responsibilities, set timelines and determine style aesthetic. By listening to the client and by asking thoughtful questions, we gain clarity on the target consumer, where and how the footwear will be marketed and sold, what white space it will fill, and what the client has done to date, if anything.

The more we ascertain and establish at the onset, the smoother the overall process will be, especially given all the variables at play working across time zones and continents and language and cultural differences. Combine these with matters beyond our control such as sampling delays, component availability and sample room capacity which are always present, further exacerbated exponentially by an unprecedented global pandemic. Once we’ve ensured we have a full grasp of the client’s and the customers’ needs, we gather and interpret the information we’ll need to design solutions in the research and strategy phase. Through market, consumer, trend, competitor, product, and materials research, we dig deep to identify opportunities and determine how best to seize them, generating success, and avoiding costly delays and mistakes down the road. In this instance, the consumer and market were clear from the outset, so our focus was on how to translate Lisa’s story and vision into a colorful and comfortable shoe.

Informed and inspired, we move on to the design and creative phase: brainstorming, ideation sketching, and concepting aimed at visualizing the concept and addressing any issues identified earlier in the process. We explore options and opportunities and, where appropriate, relevant technologies. In this case, visual cues are key to the design and spirit of the Poppies w/ Purpose™ brand. These include signature details with a nod to the original inspiration of the poppies quilt, a collectable charm element and colors that jump off the page or website and bring joy and inspiration to the wearer. With empowerment being key, motivational phases also needed to take center stage. Working on both computers and old school sketch pads, ideas and directions are explored and discussed.

In regular communication with Lisa, we reviewed, revised, and refined until we had a design that captured the relative simplicity of Lisa’s original ballet shoe inspiration whilst also adding signature brand details and hidden upgrades and incorporating Lisa’s inspiring personal story. As important as styling and aesthetics, we address technical matters to ensure proper fit and superior comfort factor– so important if the wearer is not feeling 100%. Less glamorous, perhaps, but no less important are anticipating potential obstacles to ensure cost-effective sampling and production. To minimize or even avoid duties and tariffs, we pay close attention to materials, pattern cutting, outsole construction, and price.

Once we were all happy with the design direction, the project moved into the prototyping and development phase. Here’s where we go from 2D to 3D, working closely with our client’s choice of development partner. This partnership allows us to ensure the footwear designs not only look and feel great, but also function as intended and can be efficiently manufactured. Our focus is on the design execution, making sure the factory correctly understands and implements the specifications and details covered in the technical packs. Liaising with development partner(s), we help troubleshoot any unanticipated issues and review and refine the samples as needed to perfect the product. The whole process concludes with a confirmation sample in our client’s hands from which they can place orders and launch their product.

For every pair of shoes sold, Poppies w/ Purpose™ will donate 10% of the sale to researcHERS—an organization that funds female scientists fighting cancer. Lisa is a proud ambassador for the New England researcHERS, raising funds for some of the country’s most exciting and accomplished female cancer researchers. This further inspired us, connecting our work, and hopefully bringing support and hope, to friends, family members and colleagues impacted by cancer. In Lisa’s words, “I fought breast cancer one colorful step at a time. And now I want to spread those feelings of empowerment, love, hope, and joy to those fighting their own fights. Cancer can rob us of many things, but the one powerful thing it cannot take away is the force of hope and unity. I want to encourage everyone to live each day with a bit of fight and a pop of color.”

Despite all the pandemic-related challenges, Poppies w/ Purpose™ has made it. Scheduled to launch this summer, Poppies w/ Purpose™ will offer shoes in women’s and children’s sizes, in a rainbow of colors that match cancer ribbons, like pink for breast cancer, orange for leukemia, and navy for colon cancer. Each shoe comes with a charm, uniquely designed and locally manufactured in Pawtucket, RI, and a signature pink loop in honor of the thread loops in Lisa’s quilt and the original pink ballet flats she wore during treatment.

Though the vacuum in which Covid had us all working highlighted that much of the process may have become standardized, working with Lisa has reminded us that good design is never plug and play; it’s far more than just a step in an efficient, streamlined process. Effective design keeps unquantifiable, subjective human elements, such as purpose and emotions, top of mind. If there’s even a small silver lining to a global lockdown, perhaps it’s that we were able to in a sense compartmentalize and separate logistics from creative, so that the latter doesn’t get lost in the mix. We’ve been reminded that the footwear we design is much more than some-thing to wear to work (or WFH as case may be) or play or dance in. With some heart and soul, and a pair of hot pink ballet slippers, Lisa has done just that. And we’re proud to have played a small role.

MISE: Reinventing Footwear for the Culinary Industry (Preview)

By Erik Hernandez, Founder, MISE

During my time as lead designer at Vans, I traveled to China every year to meet with contacts in footwear factories. Each time I found myself in Hong Kong, I would visit Yardbird, an amazing yakitori restaurant owned by chefs Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang. I got to know the two restaurateurs, who share a rich history in product design and branding, and I was always treated like family. Lindsay and Matt expressed interest in collaborating on a shoe for their team that worked for the demands of their restaurant in terms of both safety and style. Vans was happy to offer existing products to the Yardbird team, but creating a shoe for restaurants was not a priority at the time. This led to a simple question—How do we make better shoes for those who step foot in the kitchen? Over three years ago, our team at MISE asked this question, to ourselves and to those in the food and beverage industry, with the hope of revolutionizing kitchen shoes—a market fore-casted to reach $4.1 trillion globally by 2026—but more importantly, an industry filled with millions of talented people around the world who serve their communities and flavor our lives…

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An Interview with Chris Dixon, Footwear Designer, Timberland & Founder and Creative Director, Cnstnt:Dvlpmnt (Preview)

Interviewed by Jocelyn Rice, Director of Thought Leadership, CoDesign Collaborative

Jocelyn Rice: What is your special memory and your connection to footwear?

Chris Dixon: Special memory? Oh, man. I think if I had to pick one, it was winning my first competition, Future Sole. It was a Jordan Brand competition led by D’Wayne when he was still at Jordan Brand. I remember being on Facebook and Sa’rah Sabino, who was in high school at the time, had messaged me and said, “Hey, I think you won.” Because we were going against each other in the semi-finals. And they announced it on OSD, Obsessive Sneaker Disorder, that I actually made it to the final…

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Yesterday’s Influencers 

By Stephen Opie, Principal, Opie Design

Illustrations by Penina Gal

Humankind has dedicated its imagination, dexterity, knowledge, and sensitivity to the development of tools that serve their physical needs and psychological desires. Every product and silhouette is in a constant state of evolution, moving from its original form through a series of rises and plateaus. Success arrives when the product meets the needs of a particular time and place. The creation and iteration of footwear has followed this evolutionary arc. From primitive foot coverings to highly technical devices, from natural elements to synthetic formulations, from high to low, from rounded to pointed, and from the simple to the complex. There is no mistaking the significance of shoes in style and culture. Shoes are interpretations of the conditions around us including the politics, religions, economics, and practicalities that shape our lives, but footwear fashion also produces economic, lifestyle, and political change.

The common denominator across these disparate starting points is the person behind the shoe. From early hunter-gatherers to the dandies of the 18th century, every time a pair of shoes were created, purchased, repaired or built, a person was behind the choice to wear that shoe. Whether out of necessity, pride, financial want, or a desire to create social change, these key people developed the shoes that have become our footwear lexicon.

This is a history of these human bellwethers for our footwear decisions. It’s a history of creators, peddlers, salespeople and craftspeople. It’s a history of mover & shakers, designers, and icons. It’s a history of yesterday’s influencers. In respect to all of our past influencers, the following list is cut short. There are many influential candidates who could be included. These chosen individuals present a variety of achievements over a broad period of time.

Otzi the Iceman – The First Trail Shoe

How can the frozen remains of a man from over 5,000 years ago influence today’s footwear world?

The prehistoric mountaineer known as the Otzi Iceman was discovered at a height of more than 10,000 feet in the Otztal Alps near the border between Austria and Italy in 1991. The frozen body was remarkably well-preserved and still clad in primitive clothing, including an animal hide coat, a grass cape, and one shoe. His right shoe was made of various animal skins: bearskin soles, deerskin insteps, and chamois, cow, calf, linden bark uppers. The uppers were worn with fur on the outside and laced up. Dried tree bark was used to weave laces and the shoe was stuffed with hay to keep his feet warm. All of this material was woven between an interlacing twig and thin bark substructure. Although these are the oldest “shoes” ever found, a pair of 10,000-year-old slippers was discovered in Oregon as well as various ancient moccasins found in the Southwest United States.

Otzi’s shoe—likely created to enhance mobility in a tough outdoor world—could be called the first identified trail shoe. Experts reproducing the Otzi shoe found it to be remarkably functional.

Indeed, the Otzi shoe’s semi-rigid outer structure has been mimicked in new advanced footwear technologies, including shoes with an exoskeleton framework and a multi-layered outer shell for protection, durability, and insolation. Dating back 5,300 years, Otzi happened to pass away in the right place at the right time. In doing so, he provides us with an unexpected example of how ancient shoe construction philosophies are still present in today’s modern footwear world. His hand-made artifacts revealed a glimpse into the deep history of truly function-driven footwear— the primary goal still maintained by most footwear companies.

Empress Dowager Cixi – Footbound to Foot-free 

How can one woman influence a long-held cultural custom that has debilitated generations of Asian women and become a magnified social problem for her country’s global positioning?

Legend has it that lotus or lily foot slippers first appeared in China in the 11th century when Empress Taki was born with deformed feet. To save her future embarrassment, her father announced that only women with very small feet could be truly feminine and desirable. As a result, women began to bind their feet—a mark of status, beauty, gentility, and sexual attractiveness. Foot binding eventually spread to lower social classes by the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). In 1664, the Manchu Kangxi Emperor attempted to ban the practice, but failed. In some areas, footbinding raised marriage prospects, and by the 19th century, 40–50% of all Chinese women may have had bound feet, rising to almost 100% in upper-class Han Chinese women.

That is until Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) entered the debate. Rising from footbound sexual servitude, she came very close to ending over two millennia of a practice that caused significant physical pain to many women.

She was a fearless leader, the longest ruling woman in Chinese history, and a early feminist leader. When Cixi issued an imperial decree banning the practice of foot binding among women in 1902, she was the first leader to attempt to eliminate the practice.

However, despite her command, footbinding persisted in secret. Unbound feet proved to be politically dangerous. When armies supporting the traditional regimes marched into a village, women with unbound feet were viewed as Communist sympathizers, while women with bound feet were permitted to go free. Today, thanks in large part to the political influence of Empress Cixi, the inhumane practice of footbinding is a relic of footwear history and is no longer practiced.

Catherine de Medici – Where Vanity was Born  

How can solving for a physical shortcoming transform a personal anxiety into a continent-wide cultural influence?

In the 16th century, the Medici family was one of the most powerful political entities in the world. The Medici were the supreme rulers of Florence and later of Tuscany. They patronized the arts, produced three popes, and arranged enough royal marriages throughout Europe to ensure their lasting influence. These influence-building marriages included the 1533 betrothal of the then 14-year old Catherine de Medici to the Duke of Orleans, who was to become the next King of France, Henry II. Catherine would be expected to participate in the splendid but notoriously judgmental French Court. Catherine worried that her short stature would create a negative first impression. In desperation, she sought the aid of an ingenious Florentine artisan. He produced a creation that would cast a spell over the entire French nation by replacing the clunky wooden soles from Catherine’s shoes with a slender padded four-inch heel.

Her uplifting shoes were an adaptation of chopines, elevated wooden shoes with both heel and toe raised not unlike modern platform shoes. But unlike chopines, the heel was higher than the toe and the “platform” was made to bend in the middle with the foot. High-heeled shoes quickly caught on with the fashion-conscious men and women of the French court, and spread to pockets of nobility in other countries. The term “well-heeled” became synonymous with opulent wealth. For Catherine, her tailor had concocted a device which endowed her with indefinable allure in her walk and gave her the physical stature she could not have otherwise possessed. As necessity is the mother of invention, Catherine de Medici’s influential legacy lives on as the mother of the modern high-heeled shoe.

Louis the 14th – Monitoring the Aristocracy

 How can a simple color choice provoke political divisiveness, create social anxiety, and lead to a new representation of power and wealth?

Known as the Sun King, Louis XIV established furniture, footwear, clothing, and jewelry industriesleading France to become the world’s leader in taste and technology. The fashions in which he adorned himself were colorful, voluminous, and ornamental. Fittingly, the Sun King’s outfits often emphasized the color red, including on the soles of his high heeled shoes. French history expert Joan DeJean says red was “always a color associated with palaces, with Versailles.”

Under Louis’s rule, the higher and redder the heel, the more powerful the wearer. When Louis first started wearing red heeled footwear, he would bestow that honor to certain “in-favor” members of his court and even members of his family. Likewise, if Louis did not favor an individual’s politics, actions or beliefs, that individual would be banned from wearing the royal red on their footwear.

In 1660, French shoemaker Nicholas Lestage became shoemaker to Louis XIV, and the heels of Louis’s shoes, some now decorated with miniature battle scenes, were now as tall as five inches. In many ways, Louis’s explicit association of a unique footwear design with political power made him the first footwear celebrity trendsetter. This influence has persisted. His infatuation led to a heel profile forever referred to as the “Louis Heel,” and a red sole remains synonymous with luxury and exclusivity.

Brummel – Fashion Dandy 

How can a British common man, before the age of mass communication create a fresh new style, reinvent a persona, and uplift social status?

George Bryan Brummell, better known as Beau Brummell, became an unlikely arbiter of fashion in 18th century Regency England. Born into a working class family, Beau led the trend for men to wear understated beautifully cut clothes and elaborately knotted neckwear. He established the modern man’s suit with tie as a fashion necessity. His style of dress came to be known as dandyism.

Brummell’s dandyism encouraged English gentlemen to focus on fit, quality, and immaculate cleanliness in their wardrobes. Brummell’s influence also extended to two key footwear innovations, his new Hessian Boot and the Pantaloon Foot Loop. The Hessian boot reached to the knee with a heart shaped topline and had a decorative tassel at the top of each shaft. Initially used as standard issue footwear for the military officers, the Hessian would become widely worn by civilians as well. The boots had a low heel and a semi-pointed toe that made them practical for stirrups. The Hessian boot would evolve into the Wellington boot followed by the rubber work boots known as “wellies.”

With the Hessian boot came a pantaloon, replacing knee breeches. The problem with pantaloons was the wrinkles they formed. To fix this, Brummell invented the foot loop—a distinctive fashionable footnote to the ever-present top hat. Brummel assembled details, materials, and constructions from various cultures, then recreated them into works of his own. He was more than a leader in creating a new men’s style— he demonstrated that male fashion could be an objective of its own, that obsessive dressing could increase one’s class status, and that an immaculate outfit contained fashionable and pristine shoes.

Matzeliger – The Inventor that Changed the Industry

How can a young immigrant overcome a racially divided economic climate to create a game-changing machine?

Jan Ernst Matzeliger was born in Surinam (Dutch Guiana), South America, in 1852. At the age of ten, Jan worked in the machine shops where his talents were nurtured. Hearing about the rapid growth of the shoe industry in Massachusetts, Matzeliger moved to Lynn in 1877 in search of a better job. In the early New England footwear industry, virtually all shoes were assembled by hand stretching leather or textile around a hard rigid form called a last. This construction technique required great skill and it was assumed that such intricate work could only be done by a craftsman. As a result, these hand-lasters held great power and often demanded pay increases resulting in long periods of work stoppages and unemployment for fellow workers.

Matzeliger tried to solve this workplace stranglehold by creating an automated method for lasting footwear. After many years, he came up with a successful prototype. Matzeliger’s machine was able to produce up to 700 pairs a day, a 14-fold increase from an expert hand-laster’s 50. By 1889, there was an overwhelming demand for the machine. Matzeliger formed The Consolidated Lasting Machine Company, which sold lasting machines. In a short period, Matzeliger’s lasting machine revolutionized the American shoe industry and quickly traveled around the world. His invention is still in-use today in most modern footwear factories around the world.

Salvatore Ferragamo – Designer for the Stars

How can an inspired youth develop his skill set to such a high level that his craft becomes a world-wide symbol of glamor, prestige and haute couture?

Salvatore Ferragamo was born in Naples, Italy, in 1898. His parents were poor farmers and could not buy shoes, so Ferragamo, at age 9, borrowed materials and made them himself. At 14, after studying shoemaking in Naples, he opened a shop for hand sewn shoes for women. At age 16, he traveled to California and opened a shoemaking shop in Santa Barbara.

 From 1914 to 1923, Farragamo created footwear for the American Film Company. He then relocated to Hollywood and became the “shoemaker of dreams.” For more than 30 years he shod the stars, from Lillian Gish in the first silent films, to Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch. Worried that his shoes were aesthetically pleasing but anatomically hurtful, Farragamo studied anatomy. After much experimentation, he used this knowledge to perfect a steel instep arch support, making his shoes significantly more comfortable.

Ever the inventor, Farragamo began to experiment with new materials such as needlepoint, lace, hemp, cellophane, raffia, cork, and even fish skin. With a shortage of materials due to WWII, Ferragamo adapted wood and cork into platform soles and inserted cellophane in place of straps. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, Ferragamo resurrected the chopine, thus inventing our modern wedge heel. The inventor of several trends, like the famous ‘Vera pumps’ and ‘Cage Heels,’ which became icons in their own right, his designs continueto be seen on Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Chuck Taylor

How can one single player through savvy marketing insights and business acumen relabel a product and revolutionize an industry?

In 1921, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company signed the endorsement deal that would significantly change sports marketing and the industry. Professional baller turned salesman Chuck Taylor became Converse’s first player-endorser and became the name behind basketball’s first technical product, the “Chuck Taylor.” But this endorsed athlete agreement turned into something far more meaningful to the footwear industry: the first “signature sneaker” of all-time. Chuck immediately became involved in the design process, helping develop the canvas and vulcanized rubber product beyond the original 1917 creation. His input led to features such as increased ankle support and re-engineering of the rubber compound to increase traction and durability. Taylor, through his savvy understanding of the sporting arena used his influence to promote himself as the sports world’s first professional ambassador thus linking the world of athlete-to-product and paving the road for the future Chamberlain, Bird, Jordan, LeBron and Durant.

These past footwear influencers are remembered for their impact on our collective lives. Their creations improved our mobility. Their sensitivities led to new styles. And their skills, fortitude, and passion created jobs, formed companies, and improved economies. As the footwear world looks towards a new generation, there are numerous uncertainties. We don’t know what technology will upend longstanding production processes. We don’t know what cultural mores will drive new trends. As sport and work develop in new directions, we aren’t sure what needs new shoes will be required to fulfill. And we don’t know what unlikely fashion icons will arise, or how political machinations will drive local customs, or how a changing planet will change what we put on our feet.

But out of all this uncertainty, we can rely on one thing: there will always be a human mind behind the shoe. As we evolve, our shoes evolve with us. And as we look towards the past, we can know that the future of footwear will be reflective of the people behind the shoes.

S.E.E.D. Soles: Breaking Barriers, Planting Seeds, & Charting Pathways 

By Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, S.E.E.D. Design Director & Jessica Smith, S.E.E.D. Co-Founder

Born in love. Raised in hustle. Refined by the streets. It all started with a basket-ball and a notebook.

At first it was to keep up with her brothers. It evolved into cherished time with her father. And then, it took root in her heart. Everything about the game of basketball fueled her: the competition, the comradery, the style, the fashion, and of course, the shoes! Seeing her late-night blacktop work translated into buckets and shammies. Knowing her vision and leadership inspired greatness in her teammates. Feeling the grind of the city and the walls between blocks and crews erode in an instant as the announcer picked up the mic and the crowd went crazy. It was more than a game; it was life. It was more than a team; it was friendship. It was more than an audience; it was community.

As her high school years inched by, the reality of hanging up her sneaks became increasingly real. Now, all she was left with were memories and an unfunded shoe obsession. The things she had loved, that had been her identity, couldn’t carry her forward into the next phase of her journey.Or so she thought…Blue collar workers were who she saw around her, people working two or three jobs to put food on the table. Her parents passed in the night working odd hours to ensure someone was home to support them. She admired her parents’ ability to turn love and hustle into a close-knit family unit, but she couldn’t imagine going down the same path. With a roof over her head, she took the train to the only stop that gave her more time… community college. It only took one week of classes for that pit to develop into a boulder, realizing that this open road of exploration was merely a high school extension that lacked the support or guidance she needed to explore how to turn her passion into purpose.While fictional, Dream’s story is that of many young women of color from under-resourced communities around the world.

There is a debate spanning centuries on the purpose of education and its relationship to workforce readiness. Is education intended for the sole purpose of personal edification? Or is there a place for career and technical education within the educational system? The lack of resolution in this ongoing debate has resulted in career interest formation and preparation frequently being managed through informal networks. Informal networks are a gateway for inequity, allowing social and cultural capital disproportionally privileging some and perpetuating discrimination for marginalized communities.The global athletic footwear industry is a 97-billion-dollar industry (1) with black and 32 brown consumers fueling a disproportionate percentage of purchases. So how can it be that the main relationship the Black and Brown community has with the industry is purchasing? The industry is founded on the richness of cultures that lack access to benefit from the profitability it drives. The problems that sit behind Dream’s story are vast. Consumerism, the inequity of underrepresentation, the business impact of homogeneous teams…the list goes on. But let’s just sit with this one.

S.E.E.D. Creator Camp

Imagine if when you were born, or the moment your child was born, that someone would tell you that everything about your life had already been determined. The dimensions of your identity, your age, socioeconomic position, race, ethnicity, nation of origin, and gender could predict the schools you would attend, the profession you would have, your earning potential, and much more.

While the structure of our society has created that reality, we are a fearless team committed to break inequitable systems by overlaying an equity lens across the education to career pathway. So that little girls like Dream, who love basketball, fashion, art, and sneakers, can take their passions cultivated as children and have clear and accessible pathways to turn those passions into meaningful lives and careers of purpose.

The Solution

The School for Experiential Education in Design (S.E.E.D.), was founded by Jessica Smith & Liz Connelly within adidas and welcomed its first cohort in January of 2020. The program is a paid two year university alternative, footwear design program for BIPOC women from diverse backgrounds creating further access into the Adidas brand and sportswear industry. Upon successful completion of the program each designer transitions into a permanent full-time design role within adidas. The program is housed at the adidas Brooklyn Creator Farm in partnership with Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, the first HBCU dedicated to design located in Detroit, MI. S.E.E.D. is revolutionizing the design, education, and sportswear industries by operating as a diverse talent pipeline, taking a creator-centric approach to design education, and serving as an inclusive design consultancy within the adidas brand fueling the marketplace with consumer relevant products. “Girls like me, an African American girl from Miami, usually didn’t want to go for art or design. Not having enough chances was a barrier for me…S.E.E.D. can inspire the younger generation that’s coming, those that want to design but are afraid to or feel like they don’t have an outlet” said Eliya Jackson, adidas Assistant Footwear Designer, (S.E.E.D. Generation 1). 

Talent Pipeline & Humanizing The Recruiting Process

S.E.E.D.’s “human centered” approach to talent recruitment eradicates the barriers to entry erected by traditional recruiting practices designed to filter out those who have been under-resourced and overlooked. Our recruiting process, led by co-founder Liz Connelly, focuses on an individual’s ability to communicate who they are as a creative, an ability to exhibit their unique creative superpower, collaborate with others, build community, display a growth mindset, be teachable, learn quickly, and graciously welcome feedback. We conduct design workshops, “Creator Camps,” that enable us to get to know prospective S.E.E.D. design students in an environment focused on fun, learning, compassion, and unity – not competition, isolation, and elitism.

“I was someone who didn’t know where I was going in life, I just knew I had to go somewhere, anywhere. I don’t come from money, so I had to drop out of my first year of college…Then all of a sudden this amazing opportunity is at my doorstep, and it brought me back to life and I found my passion in something I never thought I would…What adidas is doing with the S.E.E.D. program is out of this world, they created this program for women from any background and really took the time to get to know us and our story and look at us for our skills rather than our degree,” said Samantha Alvarado, Adidas Assistant Footwear Color Designer, (S.E.E.D.Generation 1).

Our creator camp enables us to provide our participants with a mini S.E.E.D. experience focused on leadership skill development via a lesson on identity dimensions and a footwear design lesson focused on consumer insights, product narrative, sketching, color, graphics, materials, storytelling, collaboration, and presentation. Once prospective students have attended as many creator camps as they desire, they are prepared to apply for full-time placement within S.E.E.D. Each July we onboard a new cohort of 6 BIPOC women into the program based in Brooklyn, NY. S.E.E.D. serves as a strategic pipeline for female BIPOC design talent into the industry and the brand.

Creator-Centric Design Education Accelerated By Leadership

Traditional post-secondary design programs focus heavily on technical design skills and not enough on leadership skills and helping students identify their point-of-view that brands seek. Designers who have been traditionally trained and attended top design programs within the U.S. still experience a large gap in knowledge once they land their first corporate design job. These gaps may not heavily impact their technical abilities but definitely impacts their design identity (creative uniqueness), confidence, collaboration and their ability to understand and navigate workplace culture effectively. Therefore S.E.E.D. takes a “creator-centric” approach to design education. This means that we center our students’ points-of-view and learning styles, with room to adapt to their needs. We accomplish for our students in two years what colleges and universities achieve in four. What acceler-ates our student’s design skills and career read-iness, enabling them to learn and adapt quickly, is our leadership curriculum. Our leadership curriculum focuses heavily on identity, behaviors that fuel innovation, establishment of creative practices, and professional development. Our design curriculum, which is powered by our leadership curriculum, enables each designer to approach design through their own unique lens, instead of designing in the same manner as more senior designers in the industry. We leverage the collective genius of community to accelerate our creators’ growth. We partner with veteran designers as mentors. The open-source nature of our creator-centric approach ensures that S.E.E.D. designers received a well-rounded view of design from an industry perspective.

“Having all the wonderful women that are in the program with me, everyone’s just been so supportive. They give me insight into how I should present my work, how I need to story tell. They’re giving you a whole platform and opening the door for you. Ultimately, I just want to be my best me and I want to unleash my inner creative monster”, said Cristina Lopez, adidas Assistant Footwear Designer, (S.E.E.D. Generation 1).

Inclusive Design Consultancy

S.E.E.D. is strategically positioned at the inter-section of business and education which affords our designers the unique opportunity to learn by doing. Our designers are participating in a hands-on learning experience, designing products for real people to be sold at retail stores around the world. Black and brown women make up an extremely small percentage of foot-wear design teams but are the most marketed to. Therefore, products created for us but not by us lack truly relevant points-of-view. S.E.E.D. designers embody youthful perspectives of BIPOC women across the country which enables us to offer unique product solutions as we partner with various business units within the brand, operating as an inclusive design consultancy internally and externally.

As designers we have the great privilege of ascribing meaning to inanimate objects. Shoes are cultural icons and throughout pop culture we can pinpoint the shoes that defined an era or a moment in history such as Cinderella’s glass slipper, Dorothy’s Ruby Red slippers, Marty McFly’s Nike Air Mags, Kayne’s Red Octobers, Michael Jordan’s “Banned” AJ1 or “Flu Game” AJ XI and Run DMC’s “My adidas” Superstars. We believe no worn product expresses our person-ality more than shoes. Our shoes carry not only our bodies but our memories and signify special moments in our lives. Our first day of school, our wedding day, the first dunk on a basket-ball court, our first marathon or our bronzed baby shoes. We are keenly aware of the power of meaning and storytelling, which is a key focus of S.E.E.D.’s design philosophy and baked into every product we create, always deeply rooted in consumer insights. 

Chandricka Carr, Daziah Green, Kimmiski Adams (S.E.E.D. Generation 2 Students)

Product 

Our first product, designed by S.E.E.D. Generation 1, was the color and material application on the iconic adidas Superstar released in the Spring of 2021. During the midst of the pandemic in March 2020, our team was tasked with inspiring consumers who would have been indoors for months to rediscover nature and its positive effects. With this in mind, we took a utili-tarian approach to the color and material choices, focusing on calming shades of olive and dark green reminiscent of the colors of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. We also added pops of khaki, cream, and gold details to complement that palette and the utilitarian product narrative. Color psychology is a key focus within our color design curriculum. As we discovered that orange signifies creativity, the team applied orange to the sock liner and inner lining of the entire shoe to inspire creativity within the wearer. This colorway resonated with consumers so much so that all 2000 pairs sold out within a few weeks in New York City.

S.E.E.D. partnered with the adidas Women’s Originals business unit on our 2nd footwear project and 1st collection. This adidas Forum collection known as “The Journey to Ultimate Confidence” was released around the world in the summer of 2021. The entire collection was born out of the insight that “confidence is a muscle, it’s always present, it just needs to be trained.” The four-shoe collection reveals each chapter of the story, one shoe at a time. The Forum mid, “The Court,” kicks off the narrative with the idea that the basketball court is the new gym, a place to begin exercising confidence. This silhouette celebrates the sport by displaying basketball textured leather on the upper with pops of bright colors inspired by the Pigalle court in Paris. The next chapter of the story, “The Sidewalk” is brought to life by the Forum Low. The front of the shoe signifies the “wind down” of comfort, relaxation and rejuvenation needed after a workout and the rear of the shoe celebrates the “turn up” with friends both of which are needed on the ultimate journey to confidence. The Forum Plus, the third silhouette in the collection, is the plateau of the narrative before the final crescendo. Known as “The Runway” this is the refinement stage where confi-dence is peaking and revealed via the soft pink synthetic python leather with hints of confident red tones exuding from the seams. The final shoe in the collection we nicknamed “The Met” is the ultimate expression of confidence. The all-red Forum Bold is adorned with synthetic python leather and satin laces. The cherry on top is the “red thread” that connects all 4 shoes together. All four shoes have a red outsole and red interior. Confidence is always present; it just needs to be developed to rise to the surface. 

This is only the beginning, and we have more products planned to hit the marketplace designed by our Generation 2 cohort. By experiencing the full product creation process from brief to retail, our designers are well equipped by the end of the program to assume full-time design roles within the industry and specifically within adidas.  

“I instantly fell in love with design and the product we were creating, from the process, consumer, research, sketching and color. It’s been an amazing journey…You have all been an inspiration for me. I couldn’t be more excited to start this next adventure, and I owe it all to S.E.E.D.,” said Samantha Alvarado, Adidas Assistant Footwear Color Designer, (S.E.E.D. Generation 1).

Our Generation 1 (2020) cohort have success-fully completed the program and have assumed their roles within various business units within the brand such as adidas Basketball, Team Licensing, and Top Creators. It has been amazing to watch our students fully develop into the creative leaders we saw glimpses of during our very first creator camp, and now, they’re out of the nest and taking the world by storm.

“To get here it took 1,000 tries but we have made it this far…I will take this opportunity and multiply it by 1000x… This is only the begin-ning, and this accomplishment is a reminder to always work towards your dreams, no matter how far it seems somehow you will get there!”, said Deannelys Corcino, adidas Assistant Apparel Designer, (S.E.E.D. Generation 1).

The Future 

The future is bright for S.E.E.D. We will continue to create awareness of creative fields and look to expand opportunities and create pathways within footwear design for women from diverse back-grounds in the U.S., and globally in the future. Our Generation 2 design team is approaching the end of the first year and will transition into the second during the summer. They’ve already completed a footwear colorway and a collection of backpacks for the fall, just in time for “back to school,” both of which will launch next year. We’re presently wrapping up our recruitment process for our third Generation design team and look forward to welcoming them into the program this summer. Our long list of aspira-tions includes charting courses into the other jobs within product creation such as marketing, development, engineering, and manufacturing. The industry is ripe with opportunity and young creative women of color, like Dream, will be the difference makers. 

Close Knit Resilience (Preview)

By Sascha Mombartz, Founder of Office for Visual Affairs and Close Knit

Communities often come together in very informal ways: someone gathers people with similar interests or experiences or a group of people assembles around a shared interest or behind a common cause. A sense of belonging and trust is built over time through shared experiences and conversations. The informality lets the community evolve rapidly and organically, yet it also allows challenges and conflict to arise. That’s where resilience comes in. As important as it is, creating resilience can often feel tedious and not relevant to the core purpose or activities of the community. Much of building resilience is about agreements, rules, roles, and hairy topics like power or processes that either preempt or resolve challenges…

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