{"id":394513,"date":"2014-07-23T10:30:04","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T15:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=394513"},"modified":"2022-09-16T22:31:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T03:31:03","slug":"pensole-world-sneaker-championship-diaries-day-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/pensole-world-sneaker-championship-diaries-day-2\/","title":{"rendered":"PENSOLE World Sneaker Championship Diaries: Day 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this week, 30 young students from all the around the world came together in Portland, Oregon, determined to change the footwear game by embarking in the PENSOLE World Sneaker Championship. Assigned to teams and representing a diverse range of brands, boutiques and major corporations across the industry, they’ve began their journey to design a product that’s ready for retail. These are their stories.<\/em><\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Dexter Sulit, Claudia Lopez, Daniel Raes and Marcus Taylor (CMF)<\/p>\n Day two of the World Sneaker Championship and the morning session focus is on our professional identity. How can we market ourselves to stand out from the crowd? D\u2019Wayne\u2019s answer is to focus on what makes each one of us individuals. We discussed that in the context of r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and portfolios. There\u2019s so much competition in footwear design that we need to stand out as people along with producing great work. There\u2019s no better place to develop those aspects than at PENSOLE.<\/p>\n Team Adidas (Marcus not pictured)\n After our day of learning from the master we got our workstations set up with our teams. Our Adidas team is focusing on running footwear but rest assured we will challenge ourselves with out of the ordinary projects. We will spend four weeks together and will almost certainly leave PENSOLE as great friends.<\/p>\n The best way to get familiar with a brand is to read books and hold existing products. PENSOLE is filled with both for endless research and inspiration. We found at least 10 books on Adidas as a brand and enjoyed reading them and sharing our findings with our group members. It\u2019s important to understand where Adidas has been to know where we can take them with our designs.<\/p>\n Any good project starts out with research. Adidas has so many running models that our team has to dive into the mass and make sense of all. Things like Boost, Springblade and Techfit immediately stand out but there\u2019s so much more. After going deep into the brand we turn to studying everything about the type of running our shoe is going to be designed for. Until then, Day 2 is down and there\u2019s plenty more to come.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Zia Ahmad, Clifford Charles, Andrew Parks and Lindsey Johnson (CMF)<\/p>\n Day 1:<\/p>\n I can\u2019t say I know what it feels like to be a college basketball star about to be drafted into the NBA. I imagine them wondering what team they\u2019re going to play for, what city they\u2019re going to live in, what jersey will don their name and number. But, I imagine it feels something like the first day of Pensole, when we were all \u201cdrafted\u201d to work for certain footwear brands, on specific projects.<\/p>\n Sitting there, wondering if you\u2019re going to work on a Jordan, Nike, or Adidas project as Pensole founder D\u2019Wayne Edwards calls your name down the list and lets you know what company you\u2019re going to be working with.<\/p>\n At the end of the day when the smoke cleared, and the trades were made, I ended up working with Undefeated: an amazing sneaker boutique, apparel company and military inspired collaborative label. Our assignment: to create a shoe collaboration for Undefeated with a non-shoe company. For example, an Undefeated x G shock collaboration sneaker?<\/p>\n Today, we\u2019re in the early stages. Me, Clifford, and Andrew, have been bouncing ideas off of one another all day, thinking of unique and interesting possibilities that could create interesting Undefeated collaborations.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still early in the process, but we\u2019ve been tossing out some wild ideas. The sky is the limit at this point and excitement is high! We\u2019ll have to see how things progress, but we\u2019re super hopeful at this point!<\/p>\n In addition, earlier in the day D\u2019Wayne gave us detailed information on the ins and outs of design portfolios, what industry professionals are looking for while hiring, and as an added bonus he even broke down some amazing design features and benefits of both the Air Jordan 21 and 22.<\/p>\n Overall an insanely rewarding and memorable day for any enthusiastic sneaker head!<\/p>\n -Z<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Dale Shepard, Sese Herrera, Stefan Cristobal and Lindsey Johnson (CMF)<\/p>\n We started the day bright and early with D\u2019Wayne talking about personal branding, resume development and how to arrange our portfolios in a proper and \u2018complete\u2019 way. It is the second time I have heard Dwayne talk about this subject and it was as engaging and positive as the first time. We followed up with social media awareness, what to share and to not share on our online profiles as it will be on public eyes once it is on the Internet. After lunch, we got sharp tips on how to create a precise and useful design brief. I personally think developing a brief as detailed as possible is crucial in the process, as it the base and main structure of your project.<\/p>\n Teams parted their own ways after lunch and we started our research process. Excited about what\u2019s about to come in the next days and the concepts that all the teams will come up with.<\/p>\n Android Homme team wall all set up. It won\u2019t look that \u201cclean\u201d in the next few days\n Dale researching and studying the brand\n Stefan discussing our brand\u2019s identity and design language\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Guilherme Lemes, Jesus Garate, Jared Fiorovich and Shaun Kosoy (CMF)<\/p>\n Today, I learned a little on the sneaker history, from learning that sneakers were named like that because they were very quiet to hearing about Carolyn Davidson, the Nike swoosh logo designer. Then my colleagues and I had a portfolio review where D\u2019Wayne showed us how to build a good resume and portfolio including the elements that professionals expect from us. During lunch break, I ate lunch with my teammates and discussed our brand views. We later visited a Buffalo Exchange store in Portland where I found a Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan jersey for $25. Today was a good day. When everybody came back from lunch, D\u2019Wayne continued to introduce us to how a Product Creation Team works and showed us the skills that this team requires to deliver good results. He also taught us about good design and how this concept will help us become complete designers. The last lecture of the day focused on learning how to design our project brief, which will help us build a strong base to have a strong direction on our projects. During this lecture, D\u2019Wayne explained the way he established his design brief back when he was working on the Jordan 22s. He told us how he worked with Michael Jordan and also described the way he uses the number 22 to inspire many of the details on the shoe. These anecdotes were very inspiring. Finally, my team and I set up our working areas and began doing research on Target. We are working on designing a new shoe brand for Target. We need to get our facts right to start sketching, so no drawings for today.<\/p>\n Danny holding Zia\u2019s Jordan\n Most of us experienced our first rainy day in Portland, it caught us by surprise when we were coming to class. This picture shows some of the students getting ready for lecture and talking about sneakers.<\/p>\n D\u2019Wayne telling us about working with Michael Jordan back when he was working on the Jordan 21s and 22s.\n Jared and I using our new working areas to start our research on Target. Target does a lot of interesting stuff, I feel like this is going to be a very interesting and fun project.\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Elizabeth Steenwyk, Maher Jemili, Guy Perez and Tuan Nguyen (CMF)<\/p>\n Desire for greatness and first world problems.<\/p>\n These were the two subjects I took home to chew on as I sat on the bus after class and after an intense decoding session as I tried to understand the Portland Transit App. The latter thought was from D\u2019Wayne. Going over design briefs with us, he brought to our attention one major flaw in many design processes: sketching before thinking. Itching to sketch, facts are thrown to the wind only to be searched for later in order to validate an opinion. Simply because statistics can be found for anything, the creative genius soon has an unstable, but existent, reason for their new project.<\/p>\n The thing is, the problem that is being solved is most likely a first world problem– that is, not really a problem at all. It\u2019s like redesigning a toothbrush and the only improvement is an ergonomic handle. Why? What is being pushed to the limits?<\/p>\n You know who pushed the limits? Michael Jordan. I\u2019ve never paid attention to basketball but after being assigned to the Jordan Brand, I figured it was time to start. My bookmark is very close to the back cover of Driven From Within<\/em> after starting last night and suddenly I understand the mad respect everyone has for him. He gave everything he had every time he was given a challenge. He changed everything because he didn\u2019t settle and he didn\u2019t let what others had done before him dictate what he was going to do. I think each of us Pensole students is looking to do a little of what MJ did in this upcoming month and I look forward to sharing my journey with you all.<\/p>\n Going over portfolios, D’Wayne emphasized that ease of understanding is essential to getting your portfolio looked at a second time. Simplifying is key.\n Team Jordan high fiving…or high footing…after an initial meeting with Tuan, our CMF team lead.\n I’ve been told in order to design an experience, you have to have the experience…or at least, that was my justification for taking one of the Jordans for a test spin around studio.\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Danny Chambers, Ruben Eriksson, Marcus Thomas and Thalia Meraz (CMF)<\/p>\n Today, I woke up feeling especially inspired by the Pensole experience, after learning so much during my first day. In this moment in time, it is rare to have the opportunity to make friends with others who love shoes as much I do and to have the great opportunity of making lasting connections with the future leaders of the footwear industry. My current environment is filled with so much ambition, talent and fortitude it is almost palpable. Consequently, my time here will only push me to become a better designer in ways I always hoped and needed. Simply put, in one day, D\u2019Wayne has humbled me yet simultaneously given me the confidence I need to achieve my dream – producing my own footwear label.<\/p>\n I began my day at 8:10 AM by perusing the expansive design and self-empowerment library at Pensole. I came upon \u201cThe Spinnaker,\u201d something we all know well. If you are unfamiliar, then you need to get familiar with the 1981 Laney High School yearbook, with the athletic marvel Michael Jordan himself. Seeing Air Jordan in teenage form and the humble beginnings he came from, got me pumped to attack the day.<\/p>\n Michael Jordan eating breakfast\u2026 no Wheaties though.\n Once we officially kicked off the day, I received more nuggets of inspiration. In many ways it was like the perfect DJ set. It felt like that moment when a song you know is played differently or timed correctly, and as a result it gives you new energy and new life. All of a sudden your game is tighter and your special lady friend is feeling your go-to dance move. One might say you are in the coveted \u201czone,\u201d but in my world, I call it finding your center. D\u2019Wayne began the day with a Bruce Lee quote: \u201cIn order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.\u201d There is beauty in the simplicity of the message… humble thyself so you can receive your blessing. In other words center yourself so you can get into your zone.<\/p>\n Who are you? Ask yourself that question.\n D\u2019Wayne explaining what good design should be.\n I must say that I feel extremely lucky to be on the PONY team, with such hard-working and proactive teammates, my enthusiasm is boiling over in abundance. We have been tasked with creating a sub-brand that pushes PONY into the designer market. Our team for the World Sneaker Championship consists of three designers, Danny Chambers, Ruben Eriksson, myself Marcus Alexander Thomas, and one materials designer, Thalia Meraz. Today we created a game plan for our project that will evolve as we move forward in the creation cycle. Our discussion included color story, material choice, design considerations and the ability to respect each other as we aspire to express our own creative identity. It was truly an exercise in teamwork and I feel strongly that we will continue to work in concert with each other\u2026exciting times ahead!!!<\/p>\n The PONY team wall, primed and ready to be filled with design ideas.\n Tomorrow, my teammate Ruben will give you his perspective. I look forward to speaking with you all again soon. Until then, try not to miss me too much!<\/p>\n -Marcus Thomas<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Satoshi Sutoh, Jonathan Guisbert, Ako Xiang and Seth Peterson (CMF)<\/p>\n For me, today was all about fundamentals and gaining insight to all the things that go into becoming a great designer. From r\u00e9sum\u00e9 building, to branding and brief creation, we discussed all the things you have to be to make it in the industry, most of which are things you need to learn before even picking up your pencil. Probably one of the most exciting things was to listen to D\u2019Wayne share stories from his design days at Brand Jordan working with MJ. Listening to him talk about conversations he had with his Airness made me feel extremely excited about my future as well as the future of all the guys\/ladies here in the program. It also made me feel really appreciative for even being able to get this opportunity to be part of Pensole. Over the next four weeks, I can\u2019t think of anywhere else I\u2019d rather be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Quetzal Ramos, Sara Jaramillo, Victoria Adesanmi and Tuan Nguyen (CMF)<\/p>\n It is the second day of the World Sneaker Championship and the first day for the blog. If you don’t know yet, 30 people from all over the world will be competing to be one of the WSC winners! Eight of the biggest brands in the industry gave us the opportunity to show our talent: Target , Pony, Android Homme, Undftd, Under Armour, Adidas, Jordan and Nike.<\/p>\n Before we started to work, D’Wayne gives a brief summary of what\u00b4s coming for the day. This time we talked about what a resume should contain and what it says about us, focus keypoints, what to do and what not to do. After that we moved on to see what happens in a portofolio review and D’Wayne showed us how to develope our design briefs.<\/p>\n Then we started to organize our working areas around the studio. The fun starts now.\n I’m Q, by the way, and along with my teammate Victoria, we will be blogging for Nike’s team. Stay tuned for more!\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Earlier this week, 30 young students from all the around the world came together in Portland, Oregon, determined to change the footwear game by embarking in the PENSOLE World Sneaker Championship. Assigned to teams and representing a diverse range of brands, boutiques and major corporations across the industry, they’ve began their journey to design a product that’s ready for retail. These are their stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":394573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1219126,1212632],"tags":[1211825,1220018,1211826],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTEAM ADIDAS<\/h2>\n
TEAM UNDEFEATED<\/h2>\n
TEAM ANDROID HOMME<\/h2>\n
TEAM TARGET<\/h2>\n
TEAM JORDAN<\/h2>\n
TEAM PONY<\/h2>\n
TEAM UNDER ARMOUR<\/h2>\n
TEAM NIKE<\/h2>\n