{"id":396093,"date":"2014-07-31T09:12:44","date_gmt":"2014-07-31T14:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=396093"},"modified":"2022-09-16T22:31:14","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T03:31:14","slug":"pensole-world-sneaker-championship-diaries-day-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/pensole-world-sneaker-championship-diaries-day-8\/","title":{"rendered":"PENSOLE World Sneaker Championship Diaries: Day 8"},"content":{"rendered":"
This summer, 30 young students from all the around the world have come 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 Have you ever walked into a room or store and immediately walked up to every surface to feel the texture? Have you ever liked something from a far and then when you held it in your hands you liked it less or loved it more? How about color, have you walked into an athletic shoe store lately and seen the rainbow of pigments and hues?<\/p>\n I for one love the texture of things. Ever since I was little I would refuse to wear certain clothes because the inside was too scratchy, or touch the walls in hotels to see if the wallpaper was raised. If you share any of these traits then you will certainly be interested in CMF lessons at Pensole taught by Suzette Henry. Day 1 of materials went well but I can feel the pain in my brain from all the information. Growing pains I hope.<\/p>\n I walked up to my desk this morning to find this. What\u2019s in it you ask? I guessed it was some kind of diamond chain or fancy leather driving gloves. It was neither. In fact it was the most carefully packaged box of cookies I\u2019ve ever received. These cookies were bestowed on me by Lindsey (CMF for teams UNDFTD and Android Homme). Since we rearranged our desks team Adidas has had nothing but team Under Armour to look at. Luckily Ako hit us up with some questionable wisdom to ponder this morning. <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Stefan Cristobal, Sese Izurieta-Herrera, Dale Shepard, Lindsey Johnson (CMF)<\/p>\n Today was an exciting day; Suzette took the class as DE was leaving PDX for a couple days. Bright and early, she brought the designers to studio and had a nice set up waiting for us. Personally, I have been waiting to hear her stories and specifically learn from all her experience and material wisdom. Many people don\u2019t realize how crucial CMF\u2019s (colours, materials, and finishes) are in the design process. It is not about drawing nice shoes or having nice ideas, if you choose the wrong CMF\u2019s a nice concept could go in a negative path. Or if you choose the right ones, it may be a hit in the market. It is all collaborative process. Collaborate!<\/p>\n Suzette in action! It’s admirable what she knows and how important she has been for the industry.\n That\u2019s me testing sleeves. Not my type of colours though.\n Ariaprene representatives came in the MLab to talk about the wonders we could do with their product(s). Mind opening and great creative feed as we opened our material ideas and sources.\n -That is it for the day, we have a few sketches due Friday, so it is good to have a good amount of hours to step back and arrange some ideas and keep developing my story. I am sure Suzette has some great material surprises saved for tomorrow. We\u2019ll keep you guys posted.<\/p>\n Sese IH<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Elizabeth Steenwyk, Maher Jemili, Guy Perez and Tuan Nguyen (CMF)<\/p>\n First, an intro. I realized last night Team Jordan is still a bit of a mystery to you all.This is who we are:<\/p>\n Beth Steenwyk: I\u2019m from the Mitten State (Michigan, for those who have never had a Michigander hold up their hand to show you where they\u2019re from). Cross-country keeps me busy in the fall, skiing when snow starts falling and I love to explore whatever I can, whenever I can, regardless of season. My concept for Jordan training is focused on 180 running (running backwards). The benefits of moving in a non-forward direction include strengthening imbalanced muscle groups and lessening impact on joints (There\u2019s a lot more, check it out and try it sometime!) making it ideal for athletes who may be recovering from an injury\u2026or athletes who want to avoid injury in the future!<\/p>\n Tuan Nguyen: What’s up world? My name is Tuan Nguyen and I am the CMF designer for the Jordan team. I first learned of the CMF position when I connected with Suzette and the MLAB. My love for telling stories with color and materials has made me a more holistic designer and this class has helped me understand their use on a deeper level. Returning to Art Center College of Design, I will have a fresh outlook for my own design process and I also plan to bring back the collaborative attitude of our Jordan Team. We are kind of a big deal\u2026just saying.<\/p>\n Maher Jemili: I\u2019m 29 years old and from Tunisia. I never went to school for design but my passion for designing shoes has helped me overcome this. I have drawn Nike and Jordan shoes for the past fifteen years. Now that I get to design my own, my concept is a shoe for North Africa and Mediterranean countries. The consumer for this concept is my little sister, Hanna, who trains on mountains. The shoe will have to be fit to use in Mediterranean country, a mild climate with a lot of rugged topography.<\/p>\n Guy Perez: I came from a small town in Israel called Kiryat Tivon. I fell in love with footwear design when I was in elementary school, drawing shoes in class. Growing up in the ’90s, watching Michael Jordan play in the AJ 11 and 12 really started it all for me. As I grew up, I explored footwear design more and more. After I finished my military service, I decided to follow my passion. I studied design and shoe-making at “The Guild” in Tel Aviv. I participated in the first Pensole program at the University of Oregon in 2010 and in 2013 as part of The Future of Footwear class. Eventually, I want to lead the footwear design industry by sharing my creativity and vision. To inspire people by doing what you love is the greatest meaning of life. Currently, I\u2019m designing a resistance training shoe, inspired by training methods of a Special Forces unit in the Israel Defense Forces. Overcoming this resistance in training reflects everything the Jordan Brand stands for.<\/p>\n Hope that gave you a little taste of what we\u2019re thinking about. Also, check out this materials lesson we got from Suzette today!<\/p>\n Dacie Doucette, from MatMarket, came in today to show us the endless possibilities of ariaprene, a sustainable alternative to neoprene.\n Another awesome woven made of glass fibers. Not necessarily practical for footwear, but inspiring to see how far you can push materials.\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Danny Chambers, Ruben Eriksson, Marcus Thomas and Thalia Meraz (CMF)<\/p>\n Today was a celebration of the sphere of influence that materials have on design and the emotional response triggered by color and touch. When Suzette starts her \u201ccolor\u201d speak, as I call it, one is mesmerized by the tactile nature of her words. In many ways she is an author weaving her story, using carefully to build suspense, push the story forward and leave you longing for one more paragraph, one more sentence, one more word. I can literally see the colors crawling up the wall, passing over swatches of materials. It was an ever-changing wall of tetra tennis, or Tetris, if you prefer the name you know. The materials lesson was similar in so many ways, I knew some of the textiles and synthetics but I didn\u2019t \u201cknow\u201d the materials.<\/p>\n I had my Stumptown coffee, courtesy of Gui, and a granola bar, ready to start the day. I was pretty pumped up; needless to say, it was for a good reason. My first hand materials experience is almost exclusively lifestyle. It was a treat to learn about the technical and performance materials used in Jordans and other athletic footwear. We spoke about textiles, synthetics, leather, foams, carbon fiber, Ariaprene, pigment, finishing, and building a story. There are so many tools in the materials playbook, it\u2019s scary to think about, but who among us doesn\u2019t like a bit of danger. Design is supposed to push the boundaries, shift the landscape or slowly form a river through a mountain.<\/p>\n During our discussion, Suzette, stressed the importance of owning one\u2019s creative process. I feel confident that I soaked up mental insights and design tools that will propel into the future.<\/p>\n All in all.. a great day. Until next time\u2026<\/p>\n Ariaprene in its many forms.\n Carbon fiber in tubular forms.\n Nike engineered mesh.\n — Marcus T<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Guilherme Lemes, Jesus Garate, Jared Fiorovich and Shaun Kosoy (CMF)<\/p>\n Today was all about materials and colors. We had the opportunity to have a full day lesson with our Colors Materials and Finishes instructor, Suzette Henry. This lesson included the process of how to choose a color palette, the way we can use colors and materials to complete our design story. She also showed us material examples, similar to what companies like Nike, Jordan and Adidas use on their footwear designs. This lesson and presentation helped us open our minds to new boundaries. Looking at new materials gave us new ideas for our projects, new visions. The fun part about his lesson was Suzette. She is a very energetic person, so I feel like her energy gets transferred to us and makes the lesson easier to comprehend. But the best part about this day was learning about how to deal with materials and colors. You need to understand that drawing a shoe or making an awesome render doesn\u2019t complete your design, you need to show a story with your shoe, and the materials and colors are a big significant part of that process. <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Zia Ahmad, Clifford Charles, Andrew Parks and Lindsey Johnson (CMF)<\/p>\n Is it weird that sometimes I forget shoes are made out of fabrics? I mean I KNOW they are, but I so don\u2019t look at them that way. It\u2019s just a 3D product. I always forget that someone had to take the time to sit down with a designer and pick out certain colors, textures, and styles to bring their vision to life!<\/p>\n And that someone is a CMF! Don\u2019t know what a CMF is?! It’s a color, materials finishes designer (duh). Once you\u2019ve got your paneling, story, and consumer needs locked, it’s time to take a quick trip over to your local CMF where you can pimp your design out in the freshest color trends, dopest new materials and interesting finishes!<\/p>\n Today we got to sit down with Pensole’s lead CMF teacher, Suzette Henry, who walked talked us through everything from how the human eye observes color, all the way up to the latest color trends of 2017!<\/p>\n We had an Ariaprene rep come by and talk about all the advantages and benefits of the material and how it’s light years ahead of neoprene in every way.<\/p>\n We even got to see some secret new carbon fiber makeups, like 3D carbon fiber printing, as well as carbon fiber spun from glass! (don\u2019t ask me how).<\/p>\n All in all, Suzette Henry is a super fun teacher who always keeps the class lively and excited with her hilariously colorful commentary as well as her years of footwear, color, materials and finishes story.<\/p>\n All in all a super exciting day!<\/p>\n Well..<\/p>\n Back to sketching!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roster:<\/strong> Satoshi Sutoh, Jonathan Guisbert, Ako Xiang, and Set Peterson (CMF)<\/p>\n The past few days have been extremely busy. I\u2019m definitely sleeping less every night, trying to stay on top of my sketches and continuously coming up with new concepts as our old ones evolve. I think this is part of the growing pains of learning how it feels to be a professional designer. We have a deadline that\u2019s quickly approaching and it feels like there\u2019s still so much to be done; it would be overwhelming if I didn\u2019t love what I\u2019m doing, so I\u2019m thankful for that. As a group, we invested most of the day into learning about color, materials and finishes with Suzette Henry, who has a wealth of experience in the industry. It was really exciting to see all the possibilities of what we can use to add more emotion, story and tactile interest to our designs. Probably more exciting than what\u2019s currently out in the market is what still is yet to come. For all the tech that brands are putting out, there\u2019s always a new idea waiting to come to life. \u2013 Jonathan Guisbert<\/p>\n Above are a few sketches I worked out after taping up a basketball sneaker to do a crease study and hopefully solve the problem of material pinching when you are moving forward on the balls of your feet. I actually did a bunch of thumbnails the other day and I ended up scrapping all of them! It was frustrating, but I knew if I couldn\u2019t support my product fully, why should anyone else? I think I fell into the trap of sketching some ideas for aesthetics, trying to find that \u201ciconic\u201d silhouette\u2026definitely learned that the hard way, but I\u2019m glad I caught myself in time and redirected to a much better route of performance and fit as main priorities. \u2013 Jonathan Guisbert<\/p>\n Today I saw a lot of beautiful material. This was really helpful for the design because I was searching for ways to support the arch of the foot in the removable bootie I\u2019m working on. \u2013 Ako Xiang<\/p>\n Today, we got the instruction about CMF (Color, Material, and Finishing) for the first time to start this class. At first, the CMF instructor Suzette gave us a presentation. The content was full of color, feel of a material and the idea sources about the trends gave us some inspiration. At the same time, we got some information about our own project. For example, a pattern of textiles, use of material, retailer’s market, and so on. In this class, we realized again how important a domain called CMF affects our design deeply. \u2013Satoshi Sutoh<\/p>\nTEAM ADIDAS<\/h2>\n
\nOnly a designer would make tasty cookies and then try to out-do said cookies with superfluous packaging. Anyways, Thanks Lindsey! Your cookies are now in my stomach.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo Sleep, no idea.\u201d \u2013Ako
\nAs for me, \u201cNo sleep, no problem.\u201d<\/p>\nTEAM ANDROID HOMME<\/h2>\n
TEAM JORDAN<\/h2>\n
TEAM PONY<\/h2>\n
TEAM TARGET<\/h2>\n
\nWe also had some visitors today. Representatives from Ariaprene came to visit us and gave us a presentation on their product. Ariaprene is a non-toxic synthetic rubber and it is easily decomposable, readily recyclable and hypo-allergenic (safe for next to skin applications). For example, Nike used Ariaprene applications for many of their products, including the Nike Air Max 2014, some of the PRO COMBAT products, the Jordan 2012, etc. But they also showed us other Ariaprene applications, like laptop sleeves, purses, back packs, baseball gear, and more. This gave a broad image of what we can do with this kind of material on our designs. I think we were all amazed by this material. It can be placed as a fully sealed material, or an extremely flexible and breathable surface, depending on what you want on your design. I\u2019m going to explore this material to see if it can be applied into my design concept.
\nI really enjoyed today\u2019s lesson, learning new stuff is always exciting. We will be learning more about materials and colors tomorrow, so I\u2019m looking forward to see what Suzette will show us.<\/p>\n It was very exciting to learn about Ariaprene and the many that we can apply it on our designs.\n Suzette showing us examples of fiber glass.\n Exploring materials and finishes.\n Materials and colors fun.\nTEAM UNDFTD<\/h2>\n
TEAM UNDER ARMOUR<\/h2>\n