This week’s interview is with Dallas Stokes. A veteran in this game we call shoe design. Dallas has been all over the industry and back. He has managed to not only be successful within the walls of corporate design but also by owning and operating his design firm. Dallas offers some great insight in his answers, take time to read and learn from them like I did. Continue reading Design Insight: Sessions Vol. 4 With Dallas Stokes…

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How many years have you been designing? What is your career history?
I have been designing for about nineteen years. I started with a company called Ball’n in high school and from there after graduation went to work for a company named Two Hype doing Reebok and 96 Olympic gear. After that I went to work for Puma for about a year before getting a call from adidas to do basketball when Kobe came on board. I spent about two years there and got a call from And1 and did that for another two years before going to Skechers to do the Skechers and Skechers Sport lines. I spent about four years with them before leaving and starting my own design firm with clients ranging from Pony, Dunk.net, And1, Converse, and Oakley. I did that for a few years before returning to Skechers to do Marc Ecko and 310 Motoring projects. From there I moved on to do work for Dada and P. Miller until starting my first company, Blacksheep. Two years past and the Protege project fell in my lap so I helped start that and presently have three lines in development.

What motivates you?
Family is my motivator. I am a father now and I work hard to make sure they don’t have to grow up like I did. It wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best so every design gives them a better chance than I had.

What inspires you?
It’s funny I am not really a conventional designer, I am more of an organic kinda guy. I never went to school to learn how to work my skills so my inspiration comes from many different things. I have been inspired by everything from flashes of light to tooth brushes. Music inspires me so much, just the beats and my mood. Where I am in life and everything around me also inspires me and the products I work on. I surf the web and watch a lot of T.V. and videos and read a lot of magazines because I realize that’s what the average consumer does. I will go to malls and talk to the guys who work in the stores because they see all the trends to get input. I will then create like five shoes in my head and do my “Beautiful Mind” thing for a day or two then hit the Illustrator and just spit it out. I really don’t sketch much anymore because the shoes are just in my head.

Where has design taken you?
Design has taken me to every place in the world but Alaska and Africa. I am on like my third passport and my eighth state. I love it!!!

What is “good design” in your opinion?
Anything I will pay my own money for. Anything that makes me think or leaves me in awe. Anything that makes me appreciate the process that it takes to create a product. Good design should inspire you to want to do better in order to get it. A lot of that has been lost in our industry to the numbers game. Companies would rather gamble on keeping costs low than creating good products. This is so sad, which is why you have to keep creativity and business in the proper perspective in order to survive.

What is your creative process?
My creative process is kind of different. I will get an idea in my head and work on it for a few days then just sit down and spit it out on the computer. I really don’t sketch or draw much anymore because I just sit down and bang shoes out for hours at a time. Being creative shouldn’t have limitations, it can come and go at anytime so when it’s there you should immerse yourself in it and enjoy it. What’s going on around you is so important to the creative process. I hear and have lived horror stories working in companies where the design area is like an accounting firm. In my opinion that’s just not good for a designer and the creative process. Get out and breathe and live it and feel it, or why do it!!!

How would you describe your design style?
My design style is all about function first then solving how to make it work and look good. I was once told that “Form Follows Function.” I always try to look at the Function then wrap the style around it. If it ain’t sexy it just don’t work for me. I try to make my style as sexy as possible without sacrificing the function. Sometimes I hit and sometimes I miss badly but I learn from each project. I also would say that my style is a direct interpretation of life and the things in and around it. If I buy a nice car or see things on a great trip it reflects in my work.

What aspects of your own experiences are reflected in your design (if at all)?
Every design is different. There are times when I can put my fingerprints all over a product and then there are times when I have to step back and let the powers that be run it. However for every product it’s just important to know how to pick your battles. What may not make it on one shoe may become the centerpiece of another.

What is the difference between you and your designs during the beginning of your career as a designer and you as a designer now?
In the beginning everything was so personal. I didn’t know how to choose my battles and I was kind of my worst enemy. With maturity comes the understanding that you can only take a product so far. When working on a shoe you have to realize its a company thing and its like being a parent because you take your kids so far then they have to go off to school and let others help you. When I was young I didn’t understand that you couldn’t get so emotionally attached to your work once it gets to a certain point. Also you have to know when to understand it’s about the customer and the brand, and not your ego.

How does your environment affect your design?
I have to be in an environment that breeds creativity. As I said before I have worked in places like Skechers, adidas, And1 and Oakley to name a few that make the creative process amazing!!! Then there have been some that don’t understand and appreciate the creative mind and process. As a designer if you feel like you work at an accounting firm your creativity becomes a job and not a dream. That is the worst!!! I keep music, magazines, Internet and television around me at all times so I can be an emotional sponge. It keeps the creative mind at ease and makes the process flow and constantly going. There are times when you just don’t have a clue what to do next and you have to get outside of your four walls and just breathe a bit. Get out and see the world and get a different perspective. As a designer it should not be a job, it should be what you love to do with a paycheck as a bonus. Have fun, man.

What has design taught you?
Design has taught me patience, respect, self-awareness and responsibility. More importantly it’s made me understand the importance of staying competitive and hungry. I always tell people that you’re only as good as your last shoe. You have to understand that first comes the consumer and the direction of the brand. Over time you will get a chance to leave your D.N.A. or mark on the business. However you have to get the job done first so pick your battles and more importantly have fun. You can sell a million shoes one year and thirty-thousand the next so stay hungry because you are truly only as good as your last shoe.

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Brett Golliff is a Designer 1 at New Balance

Check out previous “Design Insight With Brett Golliff” posts:

- Allow Me To Introduce Myself…
- Design Insight: Inspected (Inspired) by #23
- Design Insight: Art or Theft?
- Design Insight: Examining The Forces…
- Design Insight: The Sketchbook
- Design Insight: Forever Young
- Design Insight: Here Goes My List…
- Design Insight: mod·u·lar
- Design Insight: Why?
- Design Insight: The Second Season
- Design Insight: The Sketchbook (Inspiration)
- Design Insight: Creating Emotion With Motion
- Design Insight: Sketchbook Revisited
- Design Insight: Process
- Design Insight: Design School Confidential
- Design Insight: Step By Step
- Design Insight: Render
- Design Insight: The Warm Up
- Design Insight: Sessions Vol. 1 With Jason Mayden
- Design Insight: Sessions Vol. 2 With JF Fullum
- Design Insight: Sessions Vol. 3 With Kyle Strek

Dallas Stokes has been a footwear designer in the industry for nearly two decades. For those who don’t know his history, we give you a quick 5 Questions recap of all the sneaker companies he’s worked for, currently works with, and what he hopes to accomplish with his brand new weekly CounterKicks series, “Stokes Life With Dallas Stokes“. Continue reading for the full 5 Questions Interview With Dallas Stokes…

CounterKicks: How did you get into the footwear industry?

Dallas Stokes: I have been in the industry for about 19 years. I started in high school when some guys came to our school for career day and saw my work. I did a little work with them for a while during my junior and senior year before going to work for a design company that handled work for Reebok.

CK: What shoe companies have you worked for in your career thus far?

Stokes: In my career I have worked for Pony, PUMA, Converse, Skechers, 310 Motoring, Marc Ecko, Reebok, Dunk.Net, Peak, Protege, Magic 23, P.Miller, Oakley, Dada, And1, and adidas.

CK: What footwear designs have you worked on that you’re most proud of?

Stokes: I have to say that I love all my work, even the bad stuff. I have had a few that I loved a bit more like the And1 Tochillin, adidas Chromium, and Protege Stackjack 1.

CK: What sneaker companies and projects are you working on currently?

Stokes: I’m currently working on Peak, Protege, Sean John, Rim Rocka, Van Grack, Militia Project, and The Dallas Stokes Collection.

CK: What do you hope to accomplish with your weekly “Stokes Life” series on CounterKicks?

Stokes: I get asked about the industry and what it’s like to have shoes on the shelf all the time. I hope that this series can shine some light on what it’s like to live this life through my eyes. I took the road less traveled and still walk a different path. If anyone out there can learn from my career highs and my mistakes, then cool.

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Converse has taken inspiration from beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss for its latest Chuck Taylor All-Star releases. The sneakers feature well-known Seuss characters from such books as The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This special release pack is now available in both adult and children sizes. Find it in Converse concept stores and online at Converse. Retail is $40-$65. Continue reading for more images of the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star “Dr. Seuss” Collection.

Children’s sizes:

Images via STREEThing.

Custom sneaker artist Sharp020 just revealed his latest project using a Converse Poorman Weapon base shoe. These are constructed of a Tactical Tiger Stripe Camouflage Nylon, Black Canvas, as well as a Black leather vinyl. All embroidery on the shoe including the tongue logo, the words “TACTICAL” and “TIGER” on the sides, and the borders of the Converse Star Chevron logo were applied by Sharp020. Continue reading for more images of this custom Converse Poorman Weapon by Sharp020.

Images via Sharp020

Converse has released a collection of Chuck Taylor All-Star models inspired by well-known Dr. Seuss books. Consisting of 4 shoes, the collection features a “Cat” All-Star Hi ($60) and Lo ($60), and “Thing” Hi ($65) from Seuss’ The Cat In The Hat, as well as an “If I Ran The Zoo” Hi ($55). Each shoe’s canvas upper features book-specific artwork and branding, and each model comes with a matching shoe bag. All models are available online now at Converse. Continue reading for more images of the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star “Dr. Seuss” Collection.

Images via Converse

Converse re-ups its Chuck Taylor All-Star with the Seasonal line – a collection of colorways for the summer months. Included in the group of new make-ups are Vivid Blue, White/Neon Pink, Neon Pink, Pine Green, Neon Green, and Golden Glow. Available now. Retail is $45. Continue reading for more images of the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Seasonal colorways.

Images via Zappos

Here’s a look at Converse’s latest installment of its Evo performance line. The Converse SICKS, shown here in Black/Red-White, combines the themes of professional games and pick-up basketball. The shoe features a black/red leather upper, a white midsole, and panels of translucent rubber on the outsole. Converse Balls technology lines the full length of the shoe for cushioning. The SICKS will be featured at the upcoming Nike World Basketball Festival. Click here and here for our original 2-part interview with Converse Weapon Evo designer Michael DiTullo for the story on Converse Balls cushioning technology. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse SICKS.

Based on the original Converse Star Player shoe worn by Julius Erving, the Converse Star Player Evo melds the design language of the original shoe with modern footwear innovations. The shoe features a breathable open mesh upper and inner bootie, a lightweight EVA midsole for cushioning, and an external heel counter for stability. Two colorways – White/Red-Blue and Black/Gold – will be highlighted at the Nike World Basketball Festival. More information to come as it develops. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Star Player Evo.

A new off-court silhouette hits this fall in the Converse Free Agent. The shoe is part of the Malden collection, named after the Massachusetts city where Converse began, and takes design cues from classic Converse product like the Weapon while maintaining a modern style and shape. Premium leather is used on the upper and the model continues with the brand’s renewed used of the Star Chevron logo. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Free Agent.

Nike and USA Basketball are joining together to hold the inaugural Nike World Basketball Festival in New York City from Thursday, August 12th through Sunday, August 15th. The Festival – a celebration of the game of basketball, its culture and those who love to play the sport – will include a quasi-preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championships with games between the United States and France, and between China and Puerto Rico. Basketball clinics and musical performances by top international acts will be held throughout the four-day weekend. Nike, Converse, Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball will be represented at the Festival, each brand having created specific models and colorways for the event. Many of these models and colorways will be released to the public in the coming months. Basketball and entertainment events will take place in Times Square and Rucker Park, with the Men’s national games concluding the Festival at Madison Square Garden. Continue reading for artist-rendered images of the Nike World Basketball Festival to be held August 12th through August 15th in New York City.

The Converse Fadeaway silhouette hitting retail locations in recent weeks and months may look familiar – it’s the rebranded, retail-ready version of Dwyane Wade’s former Converse WADE 5 signature shoe before he switched to Jordan Brand. The original samples featured various Wade badging, number “3″ applications”, and other finder details to pull the concept together as a signature model. Underfoot, the Fadeaway features Balls Technology as we originally covered with Converse Design Director Michael DiTullo. Check your local sporting goods retailers for exact availability. Continue reading for more detailed images of the former Converse WADE 5 – the Converse Fadeaway.

Images via dandill23

This past weekend, Converse took over Atlanta and our friends over at SLAMonline were there to cover all the action. The event roundup included the returning Band of Ballers Tournament (with appearances by Cam’ron and Jim Jones among others) and an official press unveiling of Converse’s Fall basketball lines. Look for an in-depth interview with Converse Basketball General Manager Rick Wilson in the upcoming SLAM #140 print issue. For the complete Converse ATL Takeover story, check out SLAM Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne’s official event recap now.

New images of the Converse Drop Step are out. This White/Navy colorway compliments the previous White/Black/Red and Black/White styles we originally previewed earlier in the month. The shoe features a throwback look coupled with a full length EVA midsole and Converse Balls Technology at the heel. Retail is $65. Continue reading for more detailed images of the White/Navy Converse Drop Step.

Images via US10

Converse is remixing its decades-old Chuck Taylor All Star Low with the Chuck Taylor All Star Chuck It. The shoe is an airy slip-on version of the standard canvas low-top and features an all-mesh, laceless upper.  This model is available now at Converse. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Chuck It.

Images via Converse

Converse has again teamed with British sneaker retailer Offspring. This time, the collaboration has produced the Chuck Taylor “Parachute” Pack – a high-top and low-top Chuck Taylor All-Star, each made from parachute-like nylon. The high-top is black with gold trim and the low-top is silver with red and blue trim. Both shoes are currently available at Offspring. Continue reading for more images of the Converse x Offspring Chuck Taylor “Parachute” Pack.

Images via Offspring

Yesterday we showed you a White/Black/Red style in the new Converse Drop Step. Today, we feature a Black/White colorway which consists of a primarily black upper coupled with white midsole and laces. The shoe makes use of a full length EVA midsole and carries Converse Balls Technology enclosed at the heel. Retail is $65. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Drop Step.

Converse has a new basketball silhouette for spring named the Drop Step. This White/Black/Red shoe features a throwback styled upper design paired up with the vintage Star-Chevron logo, full length EVA midsole and encased Converse Balls Technology at the heel. Retail is $65. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Drop Step.

Athletic Propulsion Labs is the newest entrant to the athletic footwear industry and they come with a special pitch: The first performance basketball shoe designed to instantly increase a player’s vertical leap. Led by 23-year-old twin brothers Adam and Ryan Goldston and backed by decades worth of sneaker industry insiders, the pair have set out to establish Athletic Propulsion Labs as the ultra high-end performance wing of the footwear world. Launching with the $300 priced APL Concept 1 shoe exclusively sold at http://APLbasketball.com, the Goldston’s are aiming high and want to take your feet along for the ride. Continue reading for Part 1 of 2 in our in-depth interview with Adam and Ryan Goldston, Athletic Propulsion Labs Founders…

(*UPDATE: Read PART 2 of our APL interview right now.)

Counter Kicks: Introduce yourselves to our readers.

Adam Goldston: We both grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Southern California. We played basketball for USC under Tim Floyd. And then for a brief time we played football for Coach Carroll there as well.

We were brought up in and around the athletic footwear industry. Our dad was a top executive at Reebok, L.A. Gear, and worked with Converse as well. A lot of people who look at APL don’t know that we have this company experience because we have our dad and a lot of the people that he worked with have been mentoring us since we were young. We always hung out with our dad in his office growing up and met all of his executives and friends, so we’ve been in this industry from a young age.

Our dad, since he was a top executive at Reebok, he helped work on the Pump and Energy Return System (ERS). When he worked for L.A. Gear he was responsible for the lighted shoes. He patented a lot of technologies by himself and he’s been teaching us about the footwear industry for many years. The education is actually invaluable because you can’t learn that in school or anywhere else, you just have to get that from first hand experience.

So, about three years ago we decided that we wanted to create the most innovative athletic footwear company ever and it would be centered around breakthrough technology designed to dramatically increase athletic performance and hopefully vertical leap, which we achieved. That’s a little bit about us.

CK: So growing up you lived around the Boston area when your dad worked at Reebok?

Ryan Goldston: Yeah, we were actually born in New York and when we were one and a half years old our dad took a job at Reebok where he was the Chief Marketing Executive of the company. So we moved to Boston, and he worked on the Pump, Hexalite, and all those technologies. We used to get to see everything early. Then when we were five years old we moved out to Los Angeles and that’s when he took a job at L.A. Gear.

And actually, Adam and I were the first ones that tested the L.A. Gear Lights. It was because of us that the lights for the little kids moved from the back of the shoe to the side of the shoe because my dad brought us back some samples and we were walking around the house and we couldn’t see our lights. So we kept asking to each other, “Can you see my lights?! I can’t see them!” And Adam would say the same thing to me. So we were telling our dad this and that’s when he got the idea that you should move the lights for the kids from the back to the side whereas for the adults you could keep them on the back. So it’s funny little stories like that which we’ve been involved in with the industry since we were little kids. We used to test out the products for Converse for the little kids and for L.A. Gear so we’ve been involved with it since a young age.

CK: That’s one of the things you wonder about a new company – where they’re coming from or what their background is, so it’s interesting to hear your dad was in the industry and you guys were around it growing up.

A. Goldston: Yeah, some of the guys that are part of our team now, we’ve known since such a young age that they’ve been helping us and they’ve had industry experience for 20 or 30 plus years. And so, we’re young guys in the industry but we’re surrounded by people that are seasoned veterans that have been involved with Nike, Reebok, adidas, and all these companies so we really have great experience on our side.

Since we played basketball at a high level, we know about the performance aspects and what players expect and things of that nature. So we used our playing experience along with their technical experience to build a new product. And also, we worked on the APL patent for a long, long time. It’s something that we’ve always been interested in because my brother and I, especially me though, have always been obsessed with vertical leap. That’s all I cared about when I was playing basketball. I could always shoot the ball, dribble, and do all that but all I really cared about was being able to jump higher. I did Air Alert and Jumpsoles and all of that stuff works but you have to put in so much effort to be able to get the results that you hoped you could achieve. So we had always wanted to create something that instantly made you jump higher. That was always my goal. I was always like, “Man, I wish I could just put on some shoes and jump like Lil Bow Wow did in Like Mike.” Ours aren’t that much of an increase, like 5 feet in the movie, but they will increase your vertical leap because that’s what they’re designed to do. There’s never been anyone else to do what we did. It’s real exciting stuff for us over here at APL.

CK: As a new brand, what is Athletic Propulsion Labs all about?

R. Goldston: Our company, APL, is singularly focused on creating world class, high performance athletic footwear products that are unlike anything that’s ever been seen in the industry. We’re beginning with the launch of our basketball shoe line and our goal is to do something in the category that’s never been achieved before. We’ve been wanting to create a shoe that makes you jump higher. There’s been the Jumpsoles, there’s been the Air Alerts, and there have always been products that allow you to train to jump higher. We wanted to create a shoe that made you jump higher instantly. Our goal is to constantly strive to develop innovative products featuring the highest quality materials, workmanship, and that will make you jump higher. That’s really our mission and our goal, is helping you jump higher.

We’re trying to be like the Ferrari or Lamborghini of the footwear industry. We want to create something that’s exclusive, that’s got great materials, and is based on fine-tuned engineering. When we designed the shoes, it wasn’t designed with a specific price in mind. We wanted to create something that really was revolutionary, so we didn’t want to reverse engineer anything. We really just wanted to create the most expensive shoe that we could so we didn’t even sacrifice cutting corners anywhere. Whether it was the upper, outsole, midsole, sockliner, or anything. And especially with the Load ‘N Launch technology. We spent so much time choosing materials, engineering it, and constantly making changes because our goal was to make you jump higher. So that’s pretty much the goal of our brand and our company. Our mission statement is to create a basketball shoe that instantly makes you jump higher – and that’s what we did.

CK: Where did the idea originally come from for the APL Concept 1 shoe?

A. Goldston: We began thinking about the creation of the company back in 2007 to 2008. When we created the branding of Athletic Propulsion Labs, we immediately knew that we had come upon something really unique and special. After that, we started working with trademark lawyers and we registered the trademark in many countries around the world while we began conceptualizing the basketball line. So we wanted to create a basketball shoe that was unlike anything anybody’s ever made before. We worked with an amazing group of footwear experts and advisors for the company and then internally we began to develop the technology and shoe design concept around the promise of creating the first shoe that would actually instantly increase your vertical leap. Because that’s all that we wanted: Increase vertical leap, increase vertical leap, increase vertical leap. We knew that we needed to have a niche to enter the basketball shoe market because if we came in competing with an adidas, or a Nike, or even a Reebok, that we would get slaughtered. For new companies, unless you have a truly amazing concept or technology or something, you can’t break in. Nike came out with the waffle sole, Under Armour came out with moisture wicking fabrics for their clothing line – so you need to have something powerful to make a statement and that’s what we wanted to do with the Concept 1.

Our shoe design and fabrication was inspired by two of the most exotic automobiles: the Pagani Zonda and Koenigsegg CCXR. They’re both million dollar plus carbon fiber bodied supercars. That’s what we wanted to create our brand around. We wanted to use carbon fiber and expensive materials, and materials that appeared to look exotic and things of that nature. So we wanted to engineer our shoes to be like the cars – super high performance. And that was our basic premise for the company, everything is super high performance. The Concept 1 shoe is designed to be the best playing shoe possible and everyone that’s worn our shoe swears by it now. We utilized styling that makes a strong statement about those who can purchase our shoes because it’s so exclusive and it is so expensive. And the amount of time and effort that went into selecting the design, the materials, and working on our device in Concept 1 is reflected in the product we’re introducing.

CK: Talk about the new Load ‘N Launch technology in the shoe.

R. Goldston: People for decades have been hoping that they could get a basketball shoe that would instantly make them jump higher or give them a competitive advantage on the court. Our company slogan “Stop Dreaming. Jump Higher.” basically says that we’ve created something that you can stop dreaming and jump higher. And it also translates to the basketball court in other areas because you’re lighter on your feet, you feel like you can move better, and you’re more explosive and that’s really what we were going for. And we’ve been working on the development of this revolutionary, patent-pending technology for 2-3 years now. We’ve gone through numerous rounds of development, working prototypes, and engineering refinements to get where we are today which is a shoe that makes you jump higher.

The Load ‘N Launch technology device is placed in the forefoot, just in front of the ball of the foot and the flex zone. The technology features a propulsion device that compresses in the “load” phase and then releases in the “launch” phase to help drive the athlete upward. This will provide the wearer with greater velocity and height than the conventional basketball shoe. And that’s basically the bread and butter of our shoe – the compression in the load phase, and the release in the launch phase. That’s really how the device works. The second you put on the shoe, you feel as though you have a powerful piece of athletic technology under your foot. It would be similar to sitting in the supercars that Adam talked about and you’d feel the torque and horsepower the second you’re in the car. You know when you put on our shoe that the shoe’s going to make you jump higher. It’s just one of those feelings. You can feel the device and you can see the device on the bottom, so it really adds to the perception that this shoe is going to make you jump higher.

CK: Are you able to talk about the Load ‘N Launch device from a technical level? Is it a mechanical type of system inside? What exactly is in the forefoot that makes up the Load ‘N Launch technology?

A. Goldston: Actually, it’s an extremely complicated device because we spent a lot of time engineering it. I can’t give you the actual, I want to say “ingredients”, of the device yet because the patent isn’t available to the public, but once it is, you can dissect it almost. It’s a bunch of different components combined to make one device which we call Load ‘N Launch. We also have a shank throughout the shoe that helps transfer energy from the heel to the forefoot to help maximize the Load ‘N Launch technology.

Once our shoe is released and the patent goes through with the patent office, it’ll be readily available for anybody to look at it, but until then we’re not giving out specifics of the device. But as you can see in our SLAM Magazine ad and other pictures of the shoes, you can see the device on the outsole of the shoe. You can look inside and get a gist of what’s in there but the actual materials and the technical stuff we can’t go into too much until the patent goes through.

CK: How does the Load ‘N Launch technology know or differentiate between an intended vertical leap and, say, hard running or sharp cuts on court where the athlete might not want that added upward boost?

A. Goldston: I’m actually happy you asked this question because it makes me feel like you really understand our technology. A lot of people ask me that question and they don’t really know how to phrase that question or will say, “Does it really work?” or “Won’t you always feel like you’re walking on a diving board?” When you differentiate between cuts and the actual vertical leap, that makes me feel like you really understand it.

The Load ‘N Launch technology is engineered to respond to direct downward pressure which releases as the athlete rises off the ground. It doesn’t respond to horizontal cuts or things of that nature because when a player makes a hard cut on the court, they’re not engaging the load phase and therefore they do not experience the launch phase. Our device works in two phases. You have to load it, which comes from direct downward pressure – it doesn’t come from lateral or side pressure – you have to put direct pressure on the device to make it release and give you the launch. Once you load it and then you launch is when you get the bounce up and you have to put your complete forefoot down on the device. And usually when you make a cut in basketball, it’s usually on the inward part of your first metatarsal or big toe and so you don’t put enough pressure on the Load ‘N Launch technology to make it engage so you really don’t have to worry about it. Even though you do feel a bounce when you’re playing, it’s a positive bounce, it’s not an unstable bounce.

Imagine you were riding a bike and someone was pushing you on your back to make you go faster, that’s what it feels like when you’re playing basketball in the Concept 1 and you’re not engaging the device. It just feels like you have an extra bounce in your step. It’s actually a great feeling and everyone that has tested our shoes has pointed out that they feel like they have almost twice as much energy, they say, because they have so much more explosion in their steps, even when the device isn’t engaged. Just playing in the shoes and having the device there makes everyone feel more confident.

CK: From the people who have wear tested the Concept 1 so far, do you have maybe an average measurement of the added extra vertical you would receive from the shoe?

R. Goldston: Everyone that’s worn the shoes has jumped higher. One of the main things that we’ve noticed and they’ve noticed is the more and more you wear the shoes, the more used to you get to the jumping motion that’s necessary for the shoes to fully propel yourself up. So it’s one of those things where over time you’re almost steadily increasing the vertical from it while wearing the shoes, of course. There’s been people who have gotten as high as 3.5 to 4 inches. And there’s times when Adam puts on the shoes where he gets as high as 5 inches. There’s an exit sign at the gym we both work out at constantly that looks like it’s gotta be at least 11 feet. Before Adam had APL’s on, he couldn’t come close to touching it but after constantly wearing the shoes and getting used to the jumping process and how the technology works, he can with ease touch the sign whenever he wants now. We’ve seen those kinds of results with the people that have worn the shoes. The longer they wear the shoes, the more used to they get to the technology, the better the Load ‘N Launch technology works and the more it propels you up.

A. Goldston: Yeah, I’m barely 6 feet tall, if I’m lucky.

CK: Have you had any thought about “tuning” the Load ‘N Launch technology perhaps for different shoe models so that you can increase the boost of the vertical leap? Like if you wanted to create a shoe with double the propulsion for someone that specifically wants to dunk in the shoes that can’t otherwise.

A. Goldston: The device can do that, and we have the potential to do that I believe, but I don’t think we’ll be going there anytime soon. The device that we created for the Load ‘N Launch technology, the one that will be releasing, is the staple of our product line so I think we want to try to keep it steady and always use the same device. We can’t see into the future but as for right now, the only device we’ll be promoting for the basketball line is the Load ‘N Launch technology that’s releasing right now.

CK: How did the overall shoe design and technology come together? How was it designed and who was all involved in that?

R. Goldston: As we mentioned before, we’ve been around the footwear industry for a long time. We’ve had the benefit of meeting and talking to tons of people that our dad has worked with. So, the way we got in touch with one of the designers was through a previous relationship. His name is Tuan Le who runs Breitenbush Design [and was the original creator of the And1 Tai Chi, among his publicly known footwear designs]. Once we met Tuan, we explained the mission of the company and what we hoped to accomplish with the Concept 1. As soon as we told him about it, his mind started racing and he was just throwing designs at us left and right. In fact, the way Tuan creates his designs is all by hand. He doesn’t use the computer. So every time we wanted to make a subtle change, Tuan re-did the whole drawing which was pretty incredible.

Once we did that, we eventually came to a few different designs that we were set on and then went through the sample process. From there, Adam and I made our own tweaks to the design. We added a couple things you see on the shoe such as the green piping and the translucent outsole. And then we wanted to make sure that the Load ‘N Launch technology would really fit in with the shoe and make you jump higher. That took many rounds to get the propulsion mechanism and the materials used in the device to the point where it was ideally suited to increase the vertical leap on indoor and outdoor basketball courts. Once we had created a device that was delivering an instant increase, that’s when we really started to look at the materials for the shoe, from the carbon fiber on it to the rebound EVA midsole, to the crystal rubber outsole. It was things like that which we started to do at the end, but we really started at the beginning with just brainstorming a bunch of different designs and explaining the things that really attracted Adam and I to the industry and to the designs and materials that we liked. We showed Tuan the Pagani Zonda and the Koenigsegg CCXR and we showed him how we loved the carbon fiber ones which were the super expensive, super exclusive ones, and we made it clear that that was how we wanted the imagery of our company to look. And once we really got a shoe that we believed embodied that imagery, that’s when we created our production model.

CK: When exactly did initial work on the Concept 1 shoe begin?

A. Goldston: We had to do the device first. The device was the thing that took the majority of the time the first two years. Then around last March is when the APL Concept 1 basketball shoe went into development. So I would say roughly a year. The design phase was intense and the engineering requirements for Concept 1 were unlike virtually any other development process for a basketball shoe. The Load ‘N Launch device is so critical to the overall construction and performance of the shoe so the combination of a performance last, high tech materials, and vertical leap improvement generated the APL Concept 1 shoe and that’s what makes the shoe so different from anything else. Incorporating all of those different things into one is what made it so difficult so if we wouldn’t have had the Load ‘N Launch technology developed first and the way we wanted to implement it, I don’t even know how long it would have taken us to come up with Concept 1. It was so hard to design the shoe around the device because most of the time when you think about shoe technology, it’s something that’s relatively thin in the heel or something like that, so our technology being a predominant force in the forefoot is what made the shoe hard to design for. But it’s also what makes our shoe different from any other basketball shoe.

CK: How long ago did the Load ‘N Launch technology start to develop?

A. Goldston: The concept for the technology started roughly a year prior to when the designs were generated. So around March 2008. But the actual technology itself started to generate around March 2009 and that’s when all the design concepts for the actual uppers and everything started to come together. From that point we’ve gone on and changed certain aspects of it but that’s really when we started the process of getting in the working prototypes that we could use and test and evaluate.

CK: How long did it take to get to the final production version of the Concept 1? And how long have people been wear testing the shoe for to date?

A. Goldston: You know, the wear testing process has gone on for quite a few months. I’d say it’s been roughly 8-10 months that we’ve been wear testing the shoes and evaluating everything. It’s really picked up within the past 6 months in terms of wear testing and constantly getting new samples, fine tuning the uppers, fine tuning the technology, that’s when it really picked up because we made some substantial changes to the upper. We made it much more supportive and a higher performing shoe. And so we wanted to see how it worked with different sockliners, different linings, different materials. We were using all types of different forms of materials to really see what would give the consumer the best performing shoe and the best looking shoe. So, within the past 6-7 months it’s really, really picked up. We’ve been having people wear test the shoes since then on a pretty regular basis with a bunch of different results coming from it.

R. Goldston: And the best part is that from every single sample run, we had better and better results. If you look at the results from the first sample run to our last confirmation sample testing, the results are unbelievable how much better they are because our shoes just continually became so much better and now it’s not comparable to any other shoe on the market.

APL’s Concept 1 shoe is available for pre-order right now exclusively at http://APLbasketball.com

[Read PART 2 of our in-depth APL interview right now: CounterKicks Interviews: Adam & Ryan Goldston – Athletic Propulsion Labs Founders (Part 2 of 2)]

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Follow Counter Kicks on Twitter @CounterKicks for the latest Athletic Propulsion Labs updates.

Starting April 1st the new Converse Product (RED) Jack Purcell will be available, featuring a design treatment from lifestyle brand CLOT. The shoe, consisting of a mostly grey upper with muted red accents, will be a boutique release worldwide with select pairs allocated to Undftd – Los Angeles and Bodega – Boston in the United States. Continue reading for more detailed images of this shoe.

As living beings on this planet we are only guaranteed one sure thing: death. It is only natural that all things, good or bad, come to an end. We constantly search for ways to be remembered after we are gone. The Egyptians built the pyramids to honor their Kings and Queens; the Romans left us with breath-taking architecture that served as monuments to their massive civilization; we build statues and memorials to honor former leaders and fallen heroes. But what if we could live forever? Continue reading Design Insight: Forever Young…

Seems impossible, but recently there was a discovery of a jellyfish that can presumably live forever. The turritopsis nutricula is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again – there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its first stage of life.

In design, products “die” all of the time.  Sometimes they go quickly (generally due to fads) and other times they live out until they are replaced by a younger generation of itself that is stronger, better and faster.  But there are those few designs that live-forever, not just by name and look, but by how they affect the culture they represent.

I have compiled these five products that I believe have and will live forever in some shape or form. I do not mean to exclude any products; there are numerous products that would fit into this list. I composed it from products that inspire me personally.

1. Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Originally created in 1917 as a shoe for the rising sport of basketball. The shoe did not become relevant until basketball player Chuck Taylor popularized it; who later became the leading salesman of the product.

The shoe features a lightweight cotton upper and a vulcanized rubber sole unit.  By today’s standards it is an easy and affordable shoe to produce.  The patch over the ankle of the shoe was placed not only for branding but also to protect the ankles.  It was not meant for support but meant to provide against wear as ankles rubbed together on the court breaking down that area of the shoe.

The shoe has lived through every generation of popular culture since its development and has stayed relevant through all of them.  It provided grunge and punk rock bands the ultimate non-conformist footwear, became a staple amongst greasers and provided many other generations a simple piece of footwear.

2. Burberry Trench Coat
One product that is forever going to be with us is the Trench Coat, the most popular brand of them being Burberry.  Originally created in 1901, the coat became a popular alternative to heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in World War 1.

The coat is constructed from Gabardine, a tough and tightly woven cotton.  The material provides great protection from the wind and rain but does not provide much warmth.  The coat was modified during World War 2 to feature shoulder straps and d-rings.  The shoulder straps provided an area for officers to announce their rank and the d-rings provided an area to attach grenades, map cases, swords and other equipment.

The coat became a fashion statement after the war when the veterans returned and kept them for personal wear.  The coat has slowly evolved over the decades since its creation but its aesthetic is still rooted around the original functional intentions.

3. Barcelona Chair
Originally created for the German pavilion in the 1929 International Exposition, Bauhaus architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his longtime partner, architect and designer Lilly Reich set out to design a chair that was inspired by folding furniture of ancient times.

The chair is hand-constructed and features a seamless piece of stainless steel at the base.  The chair is still as relevant today as it was in 1929.  Designed as a simple piece of furniture for the common man, even though its current price is not.  Its functionality and aesthetic certainly are still simple.

4. Clarks Desert Boot
In 1949 Nathan Clark designed a boot that was meant to capture the aesthetic of the military boot worn by the Eighth British Army in Egypt during World War 2.  The shoe is a functional and simple approach to footwear patterns.  Consisting of a saddle that features two eyelets for lacing and crepe sole for comfort.

The shoe has become a design staple for many brands.  Many high-end fashion brands feature their own spin on the Desert Boot but rarely does it venture from a suede-based shoe with minimal eyelets and crepe sole.

5. Air Jordan XI
This is the youngest of all the products on the list and is the only one that is not consistently in production but I could not leave it out simply for its influence alone.

Originally released in fall of 1995, the clear rubber, patent leather and condura nylon upper were meant to build fashion and performance.  The shoe was the best performing basketball shoe of the era.  It holds many performance firsts but arguably the most important performance feature was the use of a carbon fiber shank plate and the patent leather rand surrounding the foot.

Michael Jordan’s foot would occasionally blow out and roll over the top of the midsole in the forefoot during play.  To prevent this, patent leather was used because of its strength and elasticity.  The carbon fiber shank plate aided in torsional rigidity and provided the foot with a strong and firm base to keep it secure.  To feature the use of the carbon fiber plate, a clear rubber sole was used to allow viewing of the plate at all times.

This shoe changed the way basketball shoes were created.  All companies still use patent leather, carbon fiber shank plates and clear soles.  The usage of these materials is not meant to always copy from the Air Jordan XI but meant to perform at the level of the Air Jordan XI.

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During the research of these products one common element kept coming up, functionality.  All of these products were designed with intent.  Not as a fashion, not as meeting what the market is doing, not as a way of gaining new customers, but as a way of filling an unnecessary hole in performance and functionality.  Because of their ability to solve problems all of these products have managed to live past themselves and become forever young.

Let me know what products are timeless to you.

B
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Brett Golliff is a Designer 1 at New Balance

Check out previous “Design Insight With Brett Golliff” posts:

- Allow Me To Introduce Myself…

- Design Insight: Inspected (Inspired) by #23

- Design Insight: Art or Theft?

- Design Insight: Examining The Forces…

- Design Insight: The Sketchbook

While we’ve given you looks at Converse Wade 5 samples in the past here and here, no official Converse statement or retail news on the ultimate fate of the Wade 5 has yet been made since last year. The shoe was designed and developed as Dwyane Wade’s fifth signature release but was suddenly canceled last summer as Wade switched to endorse Jordan Brand product instead. This latest “Wade 5″ manifestation we see today is completely stripped of Wade logo badging which was seen on the original samples at the heel with the Wade-as-Converse-Star logo, number “3″ application at the base of the laces, and the phrase “DOUBT ME” located on the tongue of the shoe. Whether all of this has been done in anticipation of a rebranded retail release in some format has not been confirmed yet. More info to come as it develops. Read our interview with Michael DiTullo, Design Director at Converse for the backstory to “Balls Technology” as featured in the former Wade 5. Continue reading for more detailed images of the rebadged Converse “Wade 5″.

Images via Kinstor

The Converse Dunkit is the re-badged version of the Wade Clutch 2 which was scrapped when Dwyane Wade left the company to endorse Jordan Brand last summer. The shoe features the same essential upper design and Weapon Evo tooling as the original Wade Clutch 2 samples but with the replacement of the Wade logo on the tongue for the Converse Star icon and a stitched on tab with five stars embroidered on it located on the lateral collars. James Martin over at TheConverseBlog.NET has spotted the shoes for sale currently at Academy Sports and Big 5 Sporting Goods. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Converse Dunkit.

Images via Academy Sports, Big 5 Sporting Goods, and TheConverseBlog.NET

Before Dwyane Wade made his sudden switch from Converse to Jordan Brand last summer, a full slate of Wade-branded Converse product was already in production. One of those models was the Wade Clutch 2, which was named after D-Wade’s late game heroics. The shoe features a full grain leather upper, inner mesh booty sleeve, and uses the same tooling and Balls Technology as the Converse Weapon Evo. Originally designated as a Dick’s Sporting Goods exclusive model, the shoes have all been de-badged of Wade logo placements, most prominently the Wade-as-Converse-Star icon on the tongue, and is currently hitting retail doors as the “Converse Dunkit”. Continue reading for four original sample colorways of the Converse Wade Clutch 2.

“I heard the beat and I ain’t know what to write…”

This first blog post was hard, I didn’t really know where I wanted to take it. Should I just introduce myself? Or should I come with an impact? I figure the first option would be best. So let me start off by introducing myself, I am Brett Golliff. I am a Designer 1 at New Balance, located just outside of Boston, MA. I spend most of my days drawing shoes. It has provided me a great living for the past three years of my life. Continue reading for Counter Kicks’ brand new series: Design Insight With Brett Golliff…

My journey into shoe design started many years ago.  I have been into art my whole life; I love drawing, painting and anything else that inspires me to be creative.  I started taking private art lessons at the age of five and continued with them through high school.  This provided me with a strong foundation for college.  I attended the College For Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.  Design school was one the most challenging and rewarding times of my life.  The schedule was hell but the outcome was more than rewarding.  Design school gave me an opportunity to build my skills and network.  It also provided me with two internships; the first at Converse in the Performance category and the second at New Balance in Advanced Product.  I ended up being hired into the AP group in December of 2007.  I have since moved on from AP and I am now residing in the Training category.  I work on a variety of product with ranging price points.  I absolutely love it.

I am also a sneakerhead.  While my art roots are deep, my shoe roots are deeper.  At best I was a mediocre athlete while I was growing up; this gave me the opportunity to focus on my athletic friends’ shoes.  I wouldn’t say I have a lot of rare shoes but I would say I have a decent collection.  Until recently I had around 300 pairs of shoes, but over the holiday season I gave away 30+ pairs.  My collection is filled primarily of Jordan’s, basketball shoes and, more recently, running product.  This collection has provided me a decent knowledge of what can and can’t be created in a design when development meetings come around.

I was once told by a good friend to always know what my role is in life.  For a long time my role was being a student, learning and absorbing everything around me.  I believe that I will always be a student in some way; but as I have grown into this professional designer I have learned that my new role is being an Influencer.  Because that is what design is to me.  It is making an opinion on what culture and performance currently is and using it to influence the future.

What I hope for this blog to provide Counter Kicks is an area for design to breathe.  I want to give an insight to all the up-and-coming designers out there with a dream.  I want to give them the insight of what design really is and what it can provide for them, because it can provide a fulfilling life.

I have a lot of ideas for future posts, ranging anywhere from the importance of sketching to my favorite shoes.  So stay tuned!

B

Last week, we previewed two new suede colorways of the Converse Poorman Weapon. Today, Undefeated unveiled their latest collaboration with Converse using the Poorman Weapon silhouette. The shoe features a navy blue nylon upper, removable velcro logos, orange interior lining, and the UNDFTD logo applied to midsole. Packaged with the sneaker is a matching MA-1 Flight Jacket and Flight Helmet Bag. The UNDFTD x Converse Poorman Weapon will be hitting the streets on January 29th. Continue reading for more images of the collaboration shoe and the accompanying jacket and bag.

Images via High Snobiety

In Part 1 of 2 in a major exclusive interview, Counter Kicks talks with the man behind Baron Davis‘ new signature shoes: Eric Miller, Senior Designer at Li-Ning. Miller shares with us the complete design story behind the BD Doom shoe and takes us behind one of the most creative and iconic footwear logos in recent memory: the Beardman. Continue reading for the global unveiling of the Li-Ning BD Doom…

*UPDATE: Win Baron’s kicks RIGHT NOW! MUST FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS: SLAM x Counter Kicks x Li-Ning BD Doom Sneaker Contest Giveaway

Counter Kicks: Introduce yourself to our readers on your background and how you got into the footwear industry.

Eric Miller: I grew up in New York and went to Syracuse University for Industrial Design. I knew I wanted to do design and knew I wanted to do product and sports specific design. Didn’t consider footwear specifically. I mean, I always kind of wanted to do footwear but was thinking more maybe on the equipment side, possibly snowboarding or skate, so I was thinking of honing it in there. And then as I went on – I’ve always been just a straight sneaker freak – so as I was finishing up school, I was just honing in on footwear and footwear companies, footwear projects, sports specific research, investigating the biomechanics of the foot, and then finally did my thesis on a pretty cool sport equipment project.

From there I graduated and got my first job with Converse in Boston. So I flew out to Boston, moved there, and then I was doing Lifestyle product for them. I had a few offers on the table out of college but I went with Converse. I figured it was a good kind of opportunity in terms of what you would be able to learn in terms of going somewhere that had a very in-depth infrastructure or system that you know you would have to essentially fit into rather than just do your thing and do something fun. So, I went to Converse and then Nike bought Converse 4 or 5 months later after I started working there and they switched me over to hoops design once they realized I was kind of a basketball head and a lot of my designs were more performance based. I did a few different things with some of our new athletes there at that point in time. Then, you know, since Nike had purchased us it was probably 6-8 months into the ownership of Nike when Bruce Kilgore and a few of the big shots out at Nike flew out and invited just two of us to move out to the Nike Campus and learn from their basketball greats. We sat in the Innovation Kitchen and just soaked it up for a couple months. It was myself and Duane Lawrence, the Converse Dwyane Wade designer. I was actually one of the guys that pulled Duane after he was done with college into Converse and we’ve been best friends since. He was one of my best men in my wedding.

So, the two of us were invited to go up to the Innovation Kitchen at Nike and we sat there for about six months. The deal was originally to go up there for 3-6 months and return to Boston being a little bit more versed on Basketball and performance needs, techniques, shoemaking, and stuff like that. Eventually, the shoes we were working on kind of all just clicked. Everything we were working on came together, so we ended up staying out at Nike and worked in the Kitchen on the Dwyane Wade products and all of Converse’s other athletes at that point in time. We stayed out on Nike Campus on the same Converse gig and just built a team around us there between marketing and developers. There were some guys on our team that were based out of Boston and we hired a few guys from Nike and kind of put together a cool thing.

That became a few years. And then things were just starting to break down. Converse has always been kind of wack in general. Their program is not really together so I think you could give them a gem and they’d never even really figure it out. All they want to do is make money off the Chuck Taylor pretty much. So I ended up breaking out of Converse and then I came to Li-Ning. I was already based out of Portland here and I had heard good things about the Creative Director that they hired. His name is Alan Hardy and he’s a senior veteran from Nike and he’s awesome. I realized at Nike and at Converse I wasn’t really learning anything for a while, so I broke out. Alan hired me and I started working for Li-Ning about a little over a year and a half ago.

I was the first design hire. It was something new, and I knew it was a risk and not much was proven. But I knew, again, the upside of it would be that if we do it and we do it right and have fun with it, the upside might pay off into something a little bigger than any of us. So that’s what I did. And we pulled Duane Lawrence over little less than a year ago now and he’s been doing some awesome stuff for us. Li-Ning is about 3,000 people company-wide. Obviously most of them are based out of Beijing, China, and they already have designers over there and design talent and a huge product team. So we pulled over a few of the little bit more advanced thinkers and stronger design-language type guys.

We got a guy named “Machine” from there that’s doing our Hoops stuff. So it’s the three of us all kind of coming together and connecting different pieces of the puzzle over the last year and a half it’s all been starting to culminate into cool product now. It’s just the start of something different and the start of something the market might be looking for so that’s kind of where we’re at.

CK: Talk about the Li-Ning brand and company.

Miller: It was started in the early ‘90s by Li Ning himself who was a super successful gymnast which, over in China, it’s like the number one sport, people freak out over it there. He’s pretty much recognized as someone similar to a Michael Jordan-type level national celebrity over in China. He’s a very successful businessman with a bunch of different ventures including Li-Ning the brand. I’ve actually never met him so I can’t speak to anything specifically, but I heard he’s super mellow, super cool and all about the sport and providing equipment for everyday Chinese consumers and we’re now trying to spread that Internationally. We’ve been very successful in China for the last 15+ years and are growing ridiculously now. Our growth is pretty exponential within domestic China so that’s why they setup our office here and that’s pretty much our marching orders right now – to grow the brand in the U.S.

Our Portland office is called the G.I.C. – the Global Innovation Center for Li-Ning. The office started at the beginning of 2008 and we do a lot of different categories – Running, Basketball, Soccer, Badminton, and a whole lot of Chinese favored lines like Ping-Pong, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and martial arts based shoes which is real legit coming from a Chinese brand. Our goal for any product is if it hooks up with an athlete, we’re on it, and if it’s an athlete-sponsored technology or shoe line, such as Baron Davis, we collaboratively work with that athlete and get what they need into their product from a performance level. And then someone like BD of course is a little bit more inspirational. He’s got a crazy charisma and personality on him so we have fun with that and kind of let that live in the products, or try to at least.

Our other main goal we’re charged with in any project is just take everything you don’t need out of a shoe – get the shoe as close to the athlete and closer to the athlete’s goal. You know, strip everything away that’s obviously not needed and just make some statement level performance pieces that actually work and aren’t just about fashion or aren’t just about that year’s fad shoe. We want to make some technologies that we can play with that goes across categories, or elsewhere technologies that might work better for a certain category over others. We just want to step up the quality of design and the quality of footwear overall as a kind of benchmark, so that’s kind of what our Portland office is based on.

CK: Li-Ning is primarily a performance-oriented company, correct?

Miller: Definitely, yeah. Pretty much any line, any shoe lace, anything we draw we’re charged with proving it as a performance enhancer. Even if it’s something as small as the lace tips like aglets. We need to make sure it’s performance based and it’s going to live within the world of sport, whatever sport it is. We want to make sure our products enhance an athlete’s experience wearing our brand of shoes.

Baron Davis is obviously super cool with that. He kind of charges us with making sure his shoes are really going to work for him. This season, he’s wearing the “BD Doom” and athletes like him are so finely tuned that they know what they’re going to be working on next year. So when we were working on the BD Doom – this was in pre-season for the current NBA season – Baron was telling us: “Next year I’m going to be getting real low and making a lot of really quick cuts that’s going to require a good base underfoot and a good cushioning system underfoot and good traction wrapped up all around my shoe so any quick direction I make, I’m not going to be slipping. I want a solid stability base in my footwear and be able to make my basketball moves that much more responsively.”

So he elaborated on that and we had kind of a brainstorm but that’s pretty much what led into the tooling of the Doom. You know, anything we do is always going to be tied to performance, but it’s kind of like the gauge sometimes too. If true performance is 100 percent, like, does every product get to 100 percent or do some hit 90, some hit 95, some hit 85 – so it just depends what specific thing we’re going after for a specific project. So, everything gets up to 100 percent or close-to, and it just depends on the goals for that project.

CK: How long ago did you start working with Baron on shoes?

Miller: I met with Baron in the summer of 2008. It was probably around July or August of ’08. I hadn’t drawn a single thing for him yet. I didn’t even know him well on a personal level or anything. So, I flew down to Los Angeles and we got a car and drove all over L.A. We hit up some stores that he liked, talked about fashion, got lunch, and just talked about style and what inspires him to perform a certain way, and what inspires him on-and-off court to be the kind of character he is. And, you know, just seeing what he’s wearing – what shoes, what sunglasses, what kind of music he’s listening to – I just asked him everything. He told me what cars he liked, what brands he thought were on the up in the fashion world and how that might translate well into certain details on the shoes.

Baron is obviously really into anything retro, including his beard, so playing off that we came up with a lot of the retro detailing on the shoe. We came up with his logo just being kind of the classic, straight-on, almost cartoon figure of him. I checked in with him on road games last season, showed him sketches, and he’s real creative. I’ve worked with a bunch of guys that don’t really give you much feedback or give you anything to go off of. You’re just kind of shooting in the dark sometimes. But with Baron, he’s really into his line and what his name will mean on product and he really likes to affect it. And he’s got a good sense of style, too, so that helps a lot. You know, I could show him something really sloppy, like a sketch that I drew on an airplane, or I could show him something really refined like a nice clean rendering and he’s going to be able to respond to either, no problem. So that’s a really awesome detail to our work relationship. I talked about us going to stores before, so we went to a bunch of sneaker spots all around L.A., mainstream stores, skate shops, I’ve met up with him at his high school one time, so pretty much every sense of him that I can absorb and build on knowing his character and turning that into his footwear and his footwear details and help sell that story. Hopefully, once the Dooms officially launch here in the U.S., people will really be able to understand like, “Hey, this is the BD shoe. This isn’t going to be confused with anybody else and this isn’t going to be confused with any other brand or sponsored athlete.” It’s just going to live as its own, and that’s kind of what the goal was behind the BD Doom – to just create Baron’s first, kind of simple, classic signature shoe in a line of however many we go with. We’re going to give him a new signature shoe each year, or maybe a few, and we’re just going to build a little bit of love around him.

Baron’s a huge asset to our brand. The dude knows everybody in sports, stateside and International. Not just hoops. He’s about as International as you can get from an American/Los Angeles perspective. He knows athletes, musicians, you name it. And obviously on court, like the way he played against the Celtics at the end of December hitting the game winner for the Clippers in Los Angeles, and that being where he’s from, where he played high school, where he played college. He’s a southern California, L.A.-type of dude playing in a major market city, so he’s a huge asset in that way for us to be able to lean on him and have him wear our footwear. So from our perspective, we just try to keep him happy in terms of athlete relations. And at the same time, create product that’s really going to affect the marketplace in a positive way for us and just bringing something new, something different to the whole basketball shoe game.

CK: Beyond the retro styling for the BD Doom, was there anything else in particular that you were inspired by, or something Baron asked for on his shoe?

Miller: Yeah. Obviously the BD Doom is going to be his intro and debut signature model so we wanted to make it kind of an instant classic. Keep it super simple and have cool, contemporary details for the filter that it goes through but overall keep it simple and iconic. Something that 5-10 years from now might still be cool and nothing that really relies on 2009 to make it cool.

Baron had given us some inspiration on the tooling [midsole/outsole configuration of a shoe] early on that really helped us kind of nail specifically what we wanted to do with the bottom unit. Like I said before, he told us he’s going to be making a lot of quick, stop-on-a-dime movements that he hadn’t really been making in his career and that he was going to really step that up in terms of the power he needs in his feet to the court. He said he needed better traction than any Reebok shoe he’s ever worn.

So what we did with the tooling here is we kept it super simple. There’s not even a single color pop on it. We made it all traction, all herringbone, and it’s pretty much similar to some of the old school cup-soles you saw from Nike, adidas, or Converse back in the day. And then we gave it a good radius all the way around, especially on the heel, and on the lateral and medial forefoot. We gave it a good, generous radius and pulled the rubber up where it normally would have just stuck out. Most rubber on a basketball shoe is about 4-4 1/2 millimeters thick. This one we pulled it up and it’s probably around 8 or 9 millimeters thick but it’s cored out from behind like on the flex grooves on the bottom. It’s not all solid rubber, so when you look at it from an exploded view, the bottom view of the rubber kind of almost Lego-fits into the bottom nest of the foam midsole. And so we got more out of the rubber that we’re molding by wrapping it up around those corners, especially in the heel, toe, and forefoot but the shoe didn’t get the weight of it. So this was a solution that met both worlds and it was kind of like a hybrid. We watched a bunch of high-speed video throughout the process and looked at it on a normal stride and on a normal cut and the heel on any brand’s shoe just completely deforms and crumples on itself. So in that respect, we wanted to give the shoe the support that it needed but also the traction wrapped all the way up. Baron hit us back a bunch of times saying he loves all the rubber in the heel and the heel technology story. And it’s super simple, but it’s just about pulling the rubber up so that on any extreme angle of impact, he’s got protection and complete connection to the court.

Underfoot, we’ve got the TPU plate running through to cradle his heel and make sure he’s not going to get any kind of foot injury. We want to keep his foot nice and rigid in the heel so we don’t get any type of foot deformation or anything like that. So, that was the goal for the tooling. It’s super simple. The inspiration came from Baron himself on what he wanted, what he needed, and what he predicted he’ll need this season so I thought that was pretty cool. As a designer, sometimes you sit down and go, “what the hell does this person need?” but Baron already told us, so it was cool.

In terms of the materials, Baron likes a lot of nubuck leathers and full-grain nubucks, something super posh – that’s why we put that on a lot of the toes of the Doom colorways. And you know, he’s a flashy dude, he likes being in the limelight. He likes the way he’s announced with all the fluorescent lights and spotlights and glitter, so anything shiny he likes. That’s stuff he told us, so we put patent leather on the shoe and obviously that’s trending right now so it’s kind of a perfect need and what we want to give him kind of scenario. A lot of the overlays have a little bit of shine to them, all the way up to extreme shine, depending on the colorway. And that kind of gives it a good balance of material.

Then we have the 3M reflective dots on the upper. We really wanted to have like a next level type of detail that is still keeping in the tradition of what our goal was for the shoe and still keep things super simple. We threw a couple different patterns on for the dots until we got this one that kind of just gave you some shine but kept it pretty subtle as well. If the lights not on it, it’s just more or less kind of a tonal detail, but once the light flashes on it whether it’s an NBA on-court camera that’s flashing or just something out on the street like a headlight coming by snapping a flash of light on you, your shoes light up real quick. It’s just kind of a cool, special detail that we thought was still in the super simple zone, but effective. And Baron loved it. He wanted us to make sure that the shoe would work well on the streets as well as on court. You know, off street signs have the reflective material and you see it popping up every so often in certain areas or accessories and apparel. Obviously it’s been on shoes before so it’s nothing innovative or new, but there’s certain messenger bags that are just covered in it so you know you get good visibility while you’re out on the streets. You’ve got New Era 59/50’s that are covered in 3M for visibility and fashion, so we thought it was a good detail to add to Baron’s shoes that met what he needed and again made it a little bit more special too. And obviously, the Clippers play at the Staples Center and if you’ve ever seen images of the top of the arena at night, they have these neon dots – like a dot matrix pattern that covers it – so the feature is kind of a foot on his home court and like all about being able to defend his home court and relate to his fans in his town. So that was a little bit of the tie-in as well on the dots.

CK: Tell us about the “Beardman” logo which is catching a lot of attention right now.

Miller: We worked with Baron on logos and came up with probably 30-35 different logos that were B’s and D’s intertwined, to using his nickname “Boom” or “B. Davis” or his jersey number and all of these different things that we worked in and they were all pretty cool and all related to him. And then I did one logo that was just kind of a crack-up in like a Wu-Tang style, Chinese, U.S. Hip Hop type of bearded character. It was just kind of a joke. So, we showed Baron about 35 logos and then one of the last ones he saw was actually the “Beardman” – or what turned out to be the Beardman. He liked a bunch of them and he wanted it to be a certain style but then when he saw that one, he was like, “That’s tight. That’s definitely one of my favorites. Let’s re-explore that one, refine it, and see where we end up. And eventually, we ended up with the Beardman logo that you see on the shoe.

You know, I almost didn’t even show Baron the logo. When you show an athlete something, you can’t just show them any random thing. With Baron, we put together these presentations that kind of cater to him but you don’t want to show anything stupid or whatnot. So I almost didn’t show him the Beardman and I think that’s kind of like evidence of why it turned out to be cool and kind of different. I hesitated on showing him and he saw it and instantly was like, “Yo, I NEED a t-shirt with that logo on it. Next time you see me, bring me a shirt!”

So I refined the logo and emailed him a bunch of them. Baron’s super easy to communicate with and I met up with him again wherever he was at the point in time and showed him the refinements, saw the ones he liked, and we just kind of decided to go with the Beardman. He was like, “You know what? First off, shoes are for kids. Kids are pretty much what fuel the system.” I think that gets lost a lot in footwear and at certain brands you kind of talk to yourself with your own language and your own technology and athlete stories. But at the end of the day, it’s pretty much kids buying shoes and wearing them on the street. So that’s kind of why Baron was saying I want THAT logo. It’s fun, it’s super cool, it’s super simple, and it’s just super him. It’s not just a monogram of “BD” or “Davis” or anything like that scripted. It’s something really specific to Baron. No other athlete could rock that logo and get away with it. And so he just really liked it and said this is fun, let’s make this a fun shoe.

CK: Any other details Baron asked for specifically on the BD Doom?

Miller: Yeah, I mentioned he’s a super retro dude. So when Baron saw the original laces, he just said it was too basic of a lace. He wanted something detailed that had a cool grain or lines. That’s where the lace and the heel tab or heel pulley webbing came from. Those were ideas that he had that directly influenced the shoe.

And going back to the original Beardman logo I had designed, there was a secondary logo on his headband that was just a “B”. It was a script letter B, for Baron. That was the original logo. Then I had another logo with a typeface that I had created and drawn that was kind of a hybrid look. It read in English but it looked like really ancient Chinese. It was kind of something specific to Li-Ning but kept in a really cool, modern detail. You can see that original logo script on the back of the Li-Ning Beardman t-shirts. It has the Chinese aesthetic, and then it’s also written vertical because all Chinese words, sentences, language and everything is written vertical. So it was just like all these different nods to the Chinese brand as it hybrids with this American NBA superstar that we’re using to help get into the U.S. and International markets. So, that was my initial logo proposal. Baron said, “I like it a lot, but I want something a little bit more Los Angeles, maybe L.A. Dodgers inspired or along those lines,” so that’s when we switched up the “BARON DAVIS” typeface that’s stacked on the back of the t-shirt to a more classic, bolder look which you can see on the inside tongue of the BD Doom shoe.

Unlike most athletes and endorsed guys, Baron’s really involved. So when you ask: “What did he affect?” It’s a lot. Our office is small right now so we can be kind of nimble. We can drop everything, hop on a plane, and meet Baron in Miami when he’s playing the Heat, or meet him in L.A. when he’s at home hosting somebody, or meet him here in Portland when he’s in town for the Trailblazers. We always keep our meetings super casual, like if you were to meet up with a friend. That’s why we always have fun, we’re always laughing and telling jokes, catching up. But, you know, eventually when it gets down to business and his shoes, we just kind of keep that spirit and fun personality and relationship going and let it live in the shoes too.

That same relationship goes for the rest of our office as well and that’s really different than a lot of brands which is something I love about Li-Ning. When you’re at Nike and you’re doing somebody’s shoe, you’re the only person that meets them, you’re the only person that touches them, the only person that can influence the shoe. And that’s fine if that’s the policy you want. But with our brand it’s really inspiring and unique to have this living relationship with everyone where someone will have an idea and it doesn’t really depend on who or where it came from if the idea works, or it makes the shoe better, or lighter, or perform better, or look better, or relates to Baron better. It’s just in. Our office is super casual compared to anywhere else that I’ve worked and that’s really a different factor from what I’ve experienced in footwear before.

[PART 2 OF OUR FINAL TWO-PART INTERVIEW WITH LI-NING DESIGNER ERIC MILLER COMING TUESDAY.]

Follow Counter Kicks on Twitter @CounterKicks for the latest Li-Ning and BD Doom updates.

A silhouette last seen in a collaboration with Undefeated, the Converse Poorman Weapon now returns in two new colorways. The vulcanized rubber outsole shoe features suede uppers in either Black/White or Purple/White with a retail price of $60 and are available now at Converse retailers. Learn the history of the original Converse Weapon that this shoe was inspired by in our official “Converse Weapon: A Look Back” feature we ran last year.

Last night, the Utah Jazz D-League call-up Sundiata Gaines, instantly had the biggest moment of his NBA career, hitting the buzzer beating, game winning 3-point shot against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gaines was wearing the Nike Hyperize on a “retro” themed jersey night for the Jazz which meant some new Player Exclusive shoes. Continue reading for more NBA Kicks photos from around the League last night.

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics

The Nike Hyperdunk Low has been quite popular on court lately. Here we get a look at Rajon Rondo's PE pair. Also, we get a good shot of the adidas TS Supernatural Creator on Derrick Rose. The shoe seems very stable on that hard cut by DRose.

Another good look at Derrick Rose's PE adidas TS Supernatural Creator's. The appearance of bulk in the upper comes from his adidas Speed Wrap ankle braces.

Luol Deng goes between two defenders in his PE Nike Blue Chip II's. Kendrick Perkins is wearing a pair of adidas Pro Model '08. While Paul Pierce contests the shot wearing a PE Nike Air Max Legacy. So far Paul Pierce's signature shoes have only been available in kids sizes and this model is no different. Gives new meaning to the term "Player Excusive".

Another shot of Paul Pierce's Air Max Legacy PE's and Luol Deng's Nike Blue Chip II PE's. Notice the "DENG9" on the heel of Luol's pair and the "P2" logo on the tongue of Paul Pierce's pair.

Joakim Noah with a pair of sneakers from French sportswear company, Le Coq Sportif. While Brian Scalabrine goes for a layup in the Nike Cradle Rock Low.

Kirk Hinrich is the only remaining signee from Converse's big basketball push back in 2003 when Converse signed Hinrich along with 4 other rookies. In this picture we get a good look at Kirk's PE Converse Weapon Evo. Hinrich has always had his PE's customized in a 5/8th's or low-cut.

John Salmons pictured here wearing the adidas TS Bounce Commander in a nice PE black/white/red colorway.

Mr. Shuttlesworth in the Air Jordan XII. Rising Sun's with green laces or PE's?

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz

Andrei Kirilenko with a PE pair of the Nike Shox Vision. Lebron with his Nike Air Max Lebron VII NFW.

Carlos Boozer goes sideways in his Nike Hypermax PE's. Notice the yellow accent inside the Air Max unit.

A good shot of three shoes here. Lebron wearing the Nike Air Max Lebron VII NFW. Deron Williams with a nice PE pair of Nike Shark-a-Laid to match his retro jerseys and Kyle Korver wears a pair of PE Converse Weapon Evo.

Another shot of Lebron's Nike Air Max Lebron VII NFW. The term "NFW" stands for non-flywire. Ronnie Price goes up against King James in the Nike Shox Vision.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is always a team player wearing a pair of Nike Zoom Soldier II's. We also get another look at Deron Williams's Nike Shark-a-laid PE's.

Mehmet Okur tries to hook one in with his Nike Shox Vision PE's. Notice the "MEMO" embroidery on the heel.

Kyle Korver with a great looking pair of Converse Weapon Evo PE's that would look right at home on Larry Bird.

One last look at Deron Williams's Nike Shark-a-laid PE's. Mo Williams challenges in the Nike Hyperize along with Anthony Parker in the Nike Blue Chip II. J.J. Hickson is in the background with a pair of Nike Zoom Soldier III.

Sundiata Gaines in the Nike Hyperize, after hitting the game winning 3-point shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers last night.

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Images via Yahoo! Sports

Images of a sample pair of unreleased Converse Elton Brand shoes have surfaced recently. The shoe maintains the midfoot strap design cues from the previous Converse EB1 and EB2 models, and features the interlocking “EB” logo embroidered on the perforated cross strap along with the number “42″ applied to the rear of the shoe. At the heel, Converse’s current “Balls Technology” cushioning system (which you can read more in our interview with Michael DiTullo, Design Director at Converse) has been employed. Whether or not this may be Elton Brand’s “EB3″ signature shoe for next season has not been confirmed, but we’ll keep you updated on any related news. Continue reading for more detailed photos of this Converse Elton Brand sample shoe.

Images via HoopChina

With the sudden switch by Dwyane Wade last summer from Converse to Jordan Brand, it left many sneaker watchers wondering what the fate of the already-in-production Converse WADE 5 signature shoe would be. Today, we get one possibility: A replaced chassis stacked underneath a stripped WADE 5 upper. As compared to the original WADE 5 samples, this new version carries the exact same material base with various alterations such as the removal of the TPU lace holder design element and de-badging such as the disconnection of the “Wade-as-Converse-Star” emblem as seen on the original model replaced simply by the official Converse Star logo on this pair. To complete the transformation, the existing Weapon Evo midsole/outsole tooling is used. Read our interview with Michael DiTullo, Converse Design Director, for the backstory on the Weapon Evo design. Continue reading for more detailed photos of this re-vamped and re-tooled Converse “WADE 5″ sample.

via Kinstor

The Nike Second Quarter 2010 Earnings Conference Call held this past Thursday evening shed light, as in previous sessions, on the future product and marketing plans of the world’s #1 sportswear and equipment provider. Touched on in the call was a statement on Tiger Woods, momentum in Basketball and Athletic Training lines, the best-selling new Nike shoe of the year, a brief talk on the World Cup and the new LeBron VII and Zoom Kobe V, and the unveiling of a brand new, company-wide marketing concept debuting in Spring 2010 called “Fresh Air” which Charlie Denson, President of the Nike Brand, says will be used to “energize the marketplace“. Continue reading for an inside look at the Nike Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call.

Notes on the Nike Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call:

Mark Parker, Nike Chief Executive Officer:

- I see a lot of momentum in our direct-to-consumer business where we continue to deliver positive results, especially online.

- Opened a new Nike flagship store in Harajuku (Japan). It’s a great example of how innovative retail experiences really connect with consumers, even in a very tough economy like Japan.

- Football is a great example where we are leveraging the most powerful dimensions as the world’s biggest football company. It’s a perfect storm that allows us to deliver compelling experiences and innovative product from Nike and Umbro like the CTR360 football boot and the tailored England National Team jersey all the way through retail experiences like the Boot Room in Nike Towns.

- As we have demonstrated with Flywire, for example, we are able to use innovation to drive profitable growth across our business portfolio, from Nike Basketball, Running, and Training footwear to Hurley board shorts and Cole Haan footwear. And we have a lot more product innovation in the pipeline.

- Laguna Beach consumers are responding strongly to our Action Sports store concept where we have Nike, Converse, and Hurley all under one roof. We just opened a second store in Irvine.

- You don’t have to be in a store to see the reach of Nike. You can walk down the street and see Air Max 2009’s, Hurley board shorts, custom Chucks, Cole Haan bags, an Umbro tee, a pair of Retro Air Jordan 12’s – all unique, iconic products, each with sustainable, long-term relevance.

Nike (NYSE: NKE) 1-Year Daily Stock Chart

Charlie Denson, President of the Nike Brand:

- In Basketball we continue to see the game and our brand gain momentum. The big story focuses on a couple of franchise products, the LeBron VII and the brand-new Kobe V, which we just launched last week. It’s pure Nike – use technology and innovation to create a project that defies logic, put it on an incredible athlete that establishes its credibility and shift the traditional paradigm that says you have to wear a high-top basketball shoe to play at the highest level.

- In Running we used marathons in Chicago, San Francisco and New York, along with the second annual Human Race, our global Nike+event, and a fully immersed NikeTown presence to create an interconnected consumer experience

- Tremendous sell-through of the LunarGlide, our best-selling new shoe of the year and a big step forward in bringing energy to running at retail.

- In Apparel, Pro Combat has taken its rightful spot on the performance side of the US apparel business. Nobody can match our relevance or performance in protective base-layer technology. Over the last 12 months we have added about 4 points of market share and we feel like we’re just getting started.

- As exciting as the last three months have been, its the next nine months that I’m really looking forward to. You’re going to see even more of that integrated category offense beginning this spring with a concept we call Fresh Air. We are taking Nike Air, our iconic cushioning system, and creating a whole new level of performance, aesthetics and comfort that will play out across multiple categories. This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage the strength of the Nike brand and a key franchise technology to energize the marketplace.

- Next, in Football, we continue to redefine the game. Everyone knows the big story coming up is World Cup. I’m not prepared to drop the curtain just yet, but here’s what I will say. You can expect to see unprecedented intensity in our marketing and messaging, a global network of grassroots and community experiences and a new generation of boots that are the lightest and most responsive in the history of the sport, true game-changing innovation.

- Nike is the biggest football company in the world. I would add that we are also the most innovative, and I’m confident that what we have coming will put to rest any claims to the contrary.

- And we’re not stopping there. We will follow up our World Cup efforts with a couple of other surprises that I’m going to leave under the tree for now.

Don Blair, Nike Chief Financial Officer:

- Second quarter revenues were $4.4 billion, down 4% on both a reported and constant currency basis. NIKE Brand revenue was down 4% while other business revenue was up 1%. Futures orders for NIKE Brand Footwear and Apparel scheduled for delivery from December through April 2010 declined 1% on a currency-neutral basis, reflecting sequential improvement from holiday 2009 through the spring and summer 2010 seasons. On a real dollar basis we estimate futures orders will be 4% higher than the prior year.

- Footwear revenue in North America fell 4% of the second quarter. Revenues for Nike Basketball, Jordan and Athletic Training were higher for the quarter, while all other categories declined. While overall industry sales trends have been challenging, we have continued to gain market share in the US. For the 12 months ended October 2009, NPD reported that the Nike and Jordan brands combined to add 1.5 points of market share while Converse added 70 basis points.

- Second-quarter revenue in our Other Businesses increased 1% versus the prior year on both a reported and constant currency basis, driven by strong growth at Converse. Revenues at Hurley and Cole Haan were essentially flat while sales at NIKE Golf and Umbro were below the prior year.

Question & Answer Session:

Bob Drbul, Barclays Capital: I guess the big question that we’ve been getting from a lot of people, and you didn’t really talk about it at all, but the Tiger Woods situation. Is there any statement that you can make around impacts that you see on the business orders, inventories? And then I have another question that’s different, totally different.

Mark Parker: Let me take that; this is Mark. First of all, you have to recognize that Nike has about a $650 million golf business, which, as you know, like the rest of the broader golf market, has really been among the most impacted or probably hardest-hit segments of our business, particularly in this economic environment, over the past year. That said, I want to quickly add that we feel very good about how we are managing our golf business through this period and our position in the broader golf market and then, certainly, with our confidence in our growth potential going forward there.

The only thing I’ll say right now about Tiger is that we all know that he’s chosen to step away from the game, and out of respect for his time and space he needs, that he’s asked for, we’ll respect that and we’ll continue to support Tiger and his family as we, of course, look forward to his return.

Omar Saad, Credit Suisse: If I could actually follow on to Bob’s initial question, his bold question on Tiger, as you guys – and I know Don has said in the past that you started to see, as a result of the recession, some deflation in the endorsement sports marketing environment as some companies who have been involved in sports marketing get out of the business or get out of the activity — do you expect this to change the landscape at all? How are you thinking about sports marketing overall as you think about the brand over the next three to five years?

Mark Parker: First of all, I just want to remind you, everybody, I guess, that our relationships, the relationships we have with athletes, with teams, are really critical in developing the insights that we need to fuel the product innovation that really distinguishes us in the marketplace, and ultimately the overall business performance of the Company. That has hopefully been loud and clear in terms of our messages through many, many years. So this is a strategy that works. It’s helping Nike win and continue to win in the marketplace, not just over this last year, but over these last 37, 38 years. And I think it’s one that will continue to help us extend our leadership as a company.

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That concludes our notes on the Nike Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call. Follow Counter Kicks on Twitter @counterkicks for more in-depth footwear industry coverage and breaking sneaker news.

The fashion staple Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars meets the trendy kid on the block in Comme des Garçons “Play” in this collaboration which features the popular Rei Kawakuko Heart logo on the lateral sides of the shoes. These sneaks will set you back at a list price of $100. Check your local high-end retailers for availability. Continue reading for more photos.

Images courtesy of Opening Ceremony.

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With Dwyane Wade officially off the Converse endorsement roster this past summer, the continuing parade of Converse Wade-branded shoes continues to surface. This particular Wade sample features the tooling (midsole/outsole) of the WADE 4 (which Wade never actually wore in an NBA game) sitting below a new upper design capped off with shiny black patent accents. Continue reading to see more photos of the unreleased Converse Wade 4.3.

Images via Kinstor

Converse’s (PRODUCT)RED campaign continues with the unveiling of the Leather Jacket Chuck Taylor All Star. Made up of a motorcycle jacket inspired red leather, the shoe comes with a quilted lining, heavy-duty zippers on the back and a leather rand with embossed detailing. The shoe is set for a global release at temporary locations of The (RED) Store in New York City, San Francisco and London on World AIDS Day, December 1st, as well as Converse.com and select retailers around the world. The shoe will retail for $200 USD. Continue reading for more images and each (RED) Store location.

The Leather Jacket Chuck Taylor will be available at these (RED) Store locations:

The (RED) Store
680 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY, 10019

The (RED) Store
Flood Building
890 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

The (RED) Store
376-384 Oxford Street
London, W1C 1JY

Images via Hypebeast

We gave you an exclusive look last week at the Converse Weapon ‘86 Retro in a detailed Pictorial here and a full-featured “Converse Weapon: A Look Back” story here. Today, we exhibit a unique all-black upper Converse Weapon ‘86 Sample with alternate metal riveted eyelets at the top of the shoe. The upper is pieced together with a mix of black leather and black cotton twill mesh, while the “CONVERSE WEAPON” insignia on the tongue is replaced with a strip of leather instead of the woven nylon fabric material as seen on the original version. Continue reading for more detailed photos.

Images via Taobao