A few weeks ago I had the extraordinary opportunity to talk with Ms. Newburger’s third grade class about being a footwear designer.  Let me tell you, if you ever need to be reminded how cool a career designing shoes is, go talk to third graders.

At first I was nervous about the idea.  I mean, I don’t really know how to teach a bunch of 8 year olds.  Luckily I was able to find several other designers who had previous experience with this.  Thanks to the Footwear Design Group on LinkedIn for your help. I would have been lost with out your suggestions.

When I finally met the class, I was blown away- they treated me like a rock star!  It took awhile to get started because each student had to know if I designed the shoes that they were wearing; I hadn’t   I broke the ice by first talking with the students about the sports that they play.  We talked about the movements involved in each sport and how those needs affect their footwear.  I then told them about the design process as I passed around lasts and taped up pullovers but they where most impressed by the skeleton foot.

Once the class had a good idea about the process we designed a running shoe together, which I drew for them on their electronic white board.  It turns out these things are very difficult to draw on.  Then it came time for the students to design their own shoes, some of which can be seen below.   Many of the students, even went so far as to and stitch lines and design their own logos, while others copied the Jumpman.

After about 20 minutes the kids each stood in front of the class and presented their designs.  If you are a children’s shoe designer start working on rainbow colors and glow in the dark shoes immediately.

Teaching the third grade class about shoe design was an incredibly rewarding experience.  It was great to see their creativity and to show the kids that design is a fun potential career path.  With any luck, maybe I inspired the next Tinker Hatfield.

If you have a design related story and would like to contribute to the MESH01 blog email nickh@mesh01.com

Visit www.mesh01.com to join the community and help design or wear test the next great sports / lifestyle products.

Wow, I do not know of any better experiences I have had in my life than the one I had in Portland at PENSOLE.

Arriving in Portland I was very excited, and Portland was everything I expected it to be… besides the rain.  I arrived in Portland about midnight and I could already tell that I was going to like it there.  I immediately fell in love with the town the scenery was beautiful.  The people dress dope and have some amazing sneakers on their feet.  I couldn’t wait to get off the plane to take the train since I had never ridden one before, but that would have to wait for the next day since I had missed it.

The first day I arrived late to class, since I have no sense of direction, and was greeted by Dwayne.  I became excited when I found out that the man shaking my hand created, my favorite sneaker competition of all time, Future Sole.  Dwayne teased me about being late but let it slide the first day.  Then he made an announcement that for every min we are late a push up would have to be done.  I was never late again.  Later he told us the reason he does this is to teach us time management.  If you are 15 min early you are on time, If you are on time your late.

I was expecting a class full of men, but was surprised when there was another girl.  The footwear industry is mostly male dominated, so going in I knew that I would have to be focused and dedicated.  What I liked about our class was that I never felt out of place.  Everyone treated each other like we had been friends for years.  We were in class a lot together but when we weren’t in class everyone would still meet up to go around Portland and do various activities together, like going out to eat, the Nike art show, or meeting up to go over our sketches for feedback.

The thing that I enjoyed about Dwayne the most was, he was down to earth and honest with us.  He was always there willing to help, no matter the time.  I appreciate and respect the feedback he gave and the lessons he taught.  He put us in front of other well-respected people, in the industry, that normally we might never have met.  He is serious about us succeeding and wants us to be even more serious about it.  Dwayne was hands down a great teacher and mentor.

While at PENSOLE I learned so much.  From my classmates I learned, when you’re working on a project by yourself it’s only your thoughts and ideas going into it, but when you have other designers with different thoughts and creativeness helping you out it is great.  They help your mind reach a whole new side to your project.  So many ideas are floating around, some good, some you appreciate but may not use, and some ideas make you say “Why didn’t I think of that”.  It also teaches you to take criticism.

Dwayne also taught me a lot. One of the first lessons that he taught was how each shoe has a story.  There is a reason for the colors, the sole, the design; everything has a purpose.  I had NEVER thought about that before.  Before coming to PENSOLE, when I wanted to draw a sneaker I didn’t think about a story and what it’s purpose would be, I would just draw.  So seeing it from his side taught me to be more serious about my designs and just “think”.  Another thing Dwayne taught us, was that a lot of times people don’t think about and understand what they are about to draw on paper.  The first week before we began drawing Dwayne just had us think about our designs.  Think about what type of products are needed.  What purpose is our design going to be used for?   We spent a lot of time thinking about it so when it was finally time to draw, we already knew what we wanted to do, and half of the process was done.

I had a great time in Portland, great time w/ Dwayne at PENSOLE and my PEN TEN classmates!!

If interested in attending PENSOLE be sure to check out the latest class PENSOLEOGRAPHY.  adidas will provide scholarships for up to 12 hand-selected aspiring footwear designers to experience PENSOLE’s rigorous “learn by doing” curriculum, where students are assigned  projects to develop from idea to final concept while working in a team environment.

Submission Deadline: May 13, 2012 11:55 PM GMT

visit http://www.mesh01.com/forms/competitions.aspx to learn more

We would like to introduce the community to one of MESH01’s newest members, Charles Sollars.  Many of you, like me, may have stumbled across his work while searching for the new 2012 NFL uniforms.  His faux uniform designs have generated over 2 million views to his flickr account in just 60 days.

Hey Charles, can you tells us about your background in design?
I have no real design background. I do photography, I paint, I doodle, I took art in high school, but no art school or any high level formal training. I just know what I like and what I don’t like.  I want to be able to learn in a higher ed art school setting but with out someone else paying for it I can’t afford to go back to school.

What inspired you to start redesigning team football helmets and uniforms?
I saw the new Missouri helmet on the web months before it was known to be the helmet and I didn’t like it. I talked to some people and was like I can do better and they should do this. So, I downloaded a free trial of the newest photoshop and tried to make something better. I think my Mizzou helmet kills the one NIKE did and the uniform for that matter. I did Mizzou and the Chiefs and then people started telling me to do more and I just kept doing it because the demand just kept growing.

By now you must have spun hundreds of professional and college football uniforms, any favorites?

It is well over a thousand at this point. I like the Chiefs headdress helmet, the tiger head Mizzou, LSU wrap, several of the ravens helmets, the corn Nebraska ones because I love the idea of butter stickers for big plays, the Bama ghosted houndstooth, the Nebraska blackshirts skull helmet, the army hat helmet, the jags helmet, some of the terps ones I like because I think I did a better job than UA did, the seahawks, some of the cal ones, and the Oregon ducks full mascot uni I really would love to see Nike run those out this year.

I am sure you have heard some feedback from fans of the various teams.  How has the response been?
Response has been really good I have had 2.1+ million views on my flickr account alone, 4,000 or 5,000 sites have covered my stuff everyone from yahoo to the smallest blog. Most everyone loves the helmets except for the die hard traditionalist at some schools but even people that say they hate uniform change have said they would be fine with some of my designs. The biggest feedback that I get is why hasn’t someone hired you yet, are these real, and I hope we get these.

How about the fans of teams with “untouchable” designs, like the Oakland Raiders or my personal favorite the Pittsburgh Steelers?
I actually had a feature on a few Raiders only sites. Most of the fans were cool with the idea but only on a special one or two time kind of thing. The logo removing the mask to show the skull face was really popular. The Steelers fans all liked the one that had the logo on a rusted beam looking background. Several fans wanted to buy a print of that design. I don’t think any fans want to see my designs replace the classic looks of any team like the raiders, steelers, sooners, and so on but for a one time thing most people like it if nothing else so they have new team stuff to buy. I know I feel the same way with the Chiefs, I am a huge Chiefs fan but if you have a white and a red uni you have the entire uniform collection since the team started there are no alt or throwback for them which is cool because it is classic but on the other hand it sucks.

Anyone approached you about turning your designs a reality?
I have been in talks with Va Tech and Illinois. We are currently trying to get a real helmet made to determine pricing and build time to see if it is something the schools can first afford to do and then get approved. The Illini Chief helmet is also in the prototype stage but only as a fan item since the school doesn’t use anything Native American related anymore.

Now I noticed that many of your designs put the mascot front and center.  Does your experience as the Springfield Cardinal mascot have anything to do with this? Sorry had to ask. No, not at all. I just like the cartoon mascots of some teams better than the blah logos they use. I mean KU has a sweet mascot logo but they use the letters k u on all their stuff, same can be said for Oregon, Ok State, and a bunch of other schools. All of my designs are meant to be a one time special kind of design for 95% of the designs. Some of the NFL ones are everyday but most of the NCAA designs I was thinking once maybe twice a year kind of thing so why not bring in something fun either with the size, color, or logo or all 3 for some.

Where can we go to see more of your work?
You can see all of my work on my flickr account. I also tweet my new designs @charlessollars, tumblr, and youtube also have some stuff but the full collection is on flickr the designs are set up by team, conference, ncaa, nfl, and finally full uniform

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.

Be sure to check out Charles Sollar’s profile

Recently I had the opportunity to catch up with Jonny Mitch, designer who inspired the Callaway Women’s Hyperbolic Golf Shoe.  The Hyperbolic is a very special shoe for MESH01.  It is the first shoe inspired by the MESH01 community to hit the market.  You may have even seen it on the feet of LPGA stars including Morgan Pressel at the Solheim Cup

First of all, congratulations on the Callaway Women’s Hyperbolic Golf Shoe.  What is it like to see a shoe that you where a part of go to production, and even be worn in the Solheim Cup?

The Solheim Cup is a huge deal in the world of women’s professional golf. I wish I could attend- it’s the WPGA’s Ryder Cup. I’m proud that some of the United States women will be wearing a product that I was a part of.  Thank you Brian, Mesh01 and Callaway for giving me a platform to get my work out into the world!

What was the inspiration behind your Hyperbolic design?  How did you incorporate this inspiration into the design?

So, to be honest with you I don’t really remember all the details. I do know that the brief was one of the easiest for me to design from.  There was no guessing involved because Callaway did such a great job telling the designers what they were looking for. So… I took direct inspiration from the brief.

Jonny Mitch's Callaway Hyperbolic submission

I’ve grown up around the game, (of golf) and loved it since I was five or six when I won a local tournament. In middle school/early high school I worked as a cart boy for the local municipal course so I could play for free. We picked up range balls, cleaned clubs, gassed up carts, hunted rattle snakes, and perfected 360-degree power slides down the wet grass of the driving range hill. Those were the days! Haha.  Jim Oscarson is going to kill me if he ever reads that : )

Anyways, my research is based on real life experience- not some meaningless picture found on google.  I know what golfer’s dress like, so my goal was to design an upper that will go well with the rest of their wardrobe.

8 hours were spent designing the shoe and explanation pages with only 11 minutes to spare before the contest deadline. Not going to lie, towards the end I was getting a little nervous. The first hour I taped up a last and figured out how I wanted it to be constructed based on the brief’s expectations. Then I took a picture of the drawn on last and dropped it into Photoshop. From there it became a digital art exercise geared toward catching the judges attention. Sorry, If that isn’t a very exciting back story- I was just too cramped for time at that moment. But hey, it all worked out.

Sample created from Jonny's drawings

Getting here has not been the easiest; I hear you started your own business to put yourself through school.  Can you tell us about your window washing business?

My Dad bought the (window washing) equipment and a small list of accounts from a guy leaving town.  Then, when I turned 16 and received my driver’s license, he dropped it onto me and my brother’s laps and said that if we wanted to be able to pay for college this was our ticket.

Have any of the lessons learned as a business owner carried over into your design work?

I don’t know how much it has carried over into my design work, but it taught me many life lessons. The main one is- Why work for “The Man”- when you can be “The Man”.  One summer I was tired of scrubbing bug poo and dried dog nose prints so I quit to go work for the city down at the marina.  I quickly learned that 10 hour days at minimum wage weren’t going to work for me. You just can’t beat making your own schedule and salary-even if its not a very glamorous job. The job also taught me to dream big. Once the word got around town that a 14 and 16 year old were the best in the valley the Seattle millionaires with summer mansions on the lake started calling. They introduced me to a whole new world that I am still working toward.

You recently finished an internship at K1X in Munich, Germany.  What was this experience like, traveling abroad for an internship?

Besides having a total creeper as a roommate and no money to get out and experience the city, my time in Munich was great. Pete and Rainer were amazing to work with. Pete taught me so many insights into becoming a better designer. And Rainer is a master craftsman.  He could take one of our designs and make a real sample within a day.

How would you compare the design scene in Munich to the North West United States?

I don’t know if I can answer that question. I say that because the K1X design scene is not normal for Munich. Some of these guys are ballers. They are consumed by hip hop culture, and have their own clubs where they can promote all the new releases.  Some of them have moved onto starting their own brands. I haven’t met a group of people like them anywhere.

So what is next for Jonny Mitch?

For now I’ve been advised to work in the footwear industry for a few years before I start my own brand. Be on the lookout.  I feel my mentor D’Wayne Edwards is setting me up with the best chance to succeed in such a competitive industry.

Once again congratulations and thank you for the interview.  Can you offer and words of advice to the other designers out there in the MESH01 community?

I’m going to leave you with the wisdom my friend Christopher Burns gave me way back in middle school. He said “Everybody gets what they want in life.” I quickly laughed tried to argue with him saying, “I want a Lamborghini- but I’m not going to ever get it.” And with a dead serious face he replied, “If you really want something, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”

When you get that Lamborghini I call “Shotgun”.

When you graduate college and receive your degree magically you know everything needed to know to be a designer.  Right? …No?  The world of design is constantly changing and evolving with technologies and things like social media.  Even for experienced designers, you either keep learning or get left behind.   But, where does one go to continue learning and developing their skills?  I mean it is not like we are all looking to get another degree, we just want to keep expanding our skill set.

The best way to continue learning is via a mentor.  It is always a good idea to surround yourself with people that have more experience or are more knowledgeable.  Nothing beats hands on learning especially from a friend or colleague.  If you are with out a mentor in a particular area, perhaps you do what I do, turn to books or the internet.   There is another way.

When I was in Portland last I met with Janene Larson the founder of Ramp, a Learning Resource Center for brands where curriculum can advance professionals working in the Product Creation Process.  Ramp addresses the educational needs of professionals in the Product Creation Process through offering Professional Development Training specific to the sportswear industry. Ramp classes provide students a holistic perspective of the product process from product brief to consumer.  The “Ramp Way” is anchored by the need for DESIGN, MATERIALS AND MARKETING to work together in the creation of successful product lines.

“I founded ramp in 2011 as a learning resource for my peers and those entering the complex active brand industry to master the BUSINESS SIDE OF DESIGN.  I have worked globally with multiple categories in footwear, apparel and accessories at both Nike and Adidas. Whether working in Adidas Basketball, managing key accounts for Nike and adidas or as a Global Merchandiser for Nike, I was always looking for the “Playbook” onhow to do my job.

 How do you write a line plan? Where did that trend come from? What does our consumer think? What am I supposed to do with that information? Forecast?  Based on what?  Why do people get so amped up about sneakers anyway? Why are Design and Marketing always fighting?

 Well there really is a method to the madness. I founded ramp as an avenue to share what I have learned over the last 19 years of launching products into the marketplace with a few mistakes and a lot of successes. The key is to keep learning ALWAYS and as soon as you think you got it, it is time to dig deeper and share what you know with others.”  - Janene Larson/Ramp Founder

The Ramp Approach

Ramp has partnered with the most experienced and respected industry experts in the Sportswear Brand Field (from Nike, Adidas, Jordan, Auto Brands to name a few) to teach the line planning process, color and trend theory, consumer culture, material process and more.  Classes are taught at the epicenter of Active Brands in Portland, Oregon at the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy.

What You Learn

Upon completing a Ramp training course, a student will understand the needs and objectives of DESIGN, MATERIALS AND MARKETING in the product process and each department’s role in creating a deep connection with their consumer.

• Align your goals with the rest of your organization
• Understand the process and your consumer’s expectations
• Master the role of Color & Trend in the success of products
• Anticipate the needs of Design for inspiration and accurate problem solving
• Appreciate the role of Product Briefs as the agreement between Design, Development and Marketing

Instructors include some names that I am sure many of you are already familiar with.

DʼWayne Edwards – Pensole Design Director
Suzette Henri – Material Technology Goddess
E. Scott Morris – Designer/Inspiration Cultivator
John Knight – Consumer Research Guru
Michelle Battista – Trend & Merchandising Expert
Dee Wells – Sneaker Culture Historian
More to Come…

“This is what I promise you.  You will learn from the best in the industry skills you need to be better at your job, gain an understanding of the perspectives of your Design, Development and Marketing teams and learn how to use information to influence your product success in the marketplace.” – Janene Larson

Check out some of Ramp’s upcoming classes

• COLOR APPLICATION & MERCHANDISING – Michelle Battista – 4/19

• CONSUMER RESEARCH THAT MATTERS – John Knight – 4/20

• PRESENTING AND DEFENDING YOUR PRODUCT LINES & DESIGNS – E. Scott Morris – 4/30

• REALITY VS. MYTH – THE STORIES PRODUCTS TELL – DʼWayne Edwards/Dee Wells – 5/3

• MATERIAL EDUCATION – Suzette Henri – 5/4

Register @: www.ramppdx.com/classes

Visit http://ramppdx.com/ to learn more.

How do you know something works unless you try it out? You can guess and conjecture all you want. You can do field studies, polls and focus groups, but the reality is that most of the major decisions we make are fraught with risk. For example, the Red Sox thought it would be a great idea last year to bring in John Lackey for some veteran leadership. It turns out that the only leadership Lackey provided was leading his teammates to beer and buckets of fried chicken.

This is a fundamental problem that exists in life. No, I am not talking about drinking beer and eating fried chicken.  I am talking about the challenge of figuring out whether something will succeed or fail BEFORE it actually succeeds or fails. About 6 months ago I decided to get a new job and I had to make a big decision about where I would go and what I would do. I did a lot of research online, but the thing that ultimately helped me make my decision to join MESH01 was talking to other peers and experts who provided insights I would have never picked up on my own. Conceptually speaking, I was able to validate my hypothesis (i.e. I would enjoy working at MESH01) through a form of empirical evidence (i.e. people that were like me who have tried to do the same type of job and indicated they liked it). Of course, I was still taking a risk, but that risk was greatly diminished.

Why do brands test products?

Now, let’s apply that same concept to the development of a new product. The lifecycle of a product from initial inception to consumer sale includes a series of phases. As each phase is completed, the brand faces one of three choices:

1. Continue to invest in the product and move it to the next phase if they still believe it will succeed
2. Kill the product and cut their losses if they believe it will fail
3. Alter or change the product in some way if they believe they will still succeed with some adjustments

One of the most critical inflection points occurs just after a brand gets the initial prototypes from the factory. At that point, they have certainly invested quite a bit, but they still have some wiggle room to make adjustments. So, it is vital to try and get as much quality feedback as possible with those prototypes. That means finding a small sample set of people that represent the target consumers who can try out the product and provide quality feedback. This may sound easy, but there are a number of challenges including:

• Each product is targeted for different groups of people. It is not simply a matter of getting a bunch of pro athletes. The target audience for a product may be moms in their 40s or perhaps teenage boys or maybe recreational golfers past the retirement age who have problems with their meniscus knee ligaments. Finding the right type of person at the right time is extremely difficult.
• Even if a brand finds the right type of people based on their characteristics in relation to the target audience, there is no guarantee that those people will provide any useful feedback. For example, I played soccer at Boston College and on a semi-pro team after college. I may be an example of the target audience for a new soccer cleat, but if I were an extreme recluse that didn’t like to talk to other people, I may not tell the brand that their cleat makes my ankle hurt.
• Even if a brand finds the right types of people that do provide good feedback, there is no guarantee that that they will do so in a timely manner.  Brands are often on a tight schedule as time is money and they are looking for experts that provide good feedback at the specific times they need it so that they will have the opportunity to make changes to the product before it is too late.

So, what’s in it for the tester?

As I described, brands have the need to find quality wear testers. Let’s say they pick you to test out a product involved in your favorite activity. They give you free product and you subsequently provide crucial feedback to them. Part of that feedback includes the identification of issues that would adversely affected sales when the product goes on the general market. The brand is able to fix those issues and the product then turns out to be a success. The brand is ecstatic with your contribution so they give you high praise and keep you in mind the next time they have the need to test a product for a similar audience in the future.

Now, what just happened there?

1. You got a free product for the activity you love
2. You provided feedback that actually had an impact on the development of that product
3. You were recognized for you skill within your activity and/or your ability to figure out potential issues
4. The brand knows who you are and will likely ask you to participate in a future wear test

Where do we come in?

For over a year now, we have been focused on building out the best wear testing program platform available on the open market. The value of this platform can be seen from both sides of the equation.

From the brand’s point of view MESH01 will have a large community of quality wear testers that have been vetted over time. The software enables brands to define their wear test brief, quickly and easily find the right types of wear testers, run the wear test, collect all the feedback and view aggregated data over time. The program can be easily customized by brands both in terms of the information that is part of a wear test as well as how that information is visually presented to the wear testers.

From the perspective of a wear tester, this is the opportunity to let your voice be heard by brands and a community of like-minded enthusiasts. Wear testers will have the opportunity to participate in many different wear tests with many different brands over time.

How will it work?

The first step is to register and complete your profile. In about a month, brands will have the opportunity to create a new wear test and get the party started. The process will be different for each wear test, but the general set of steps will go like this:

1. The brand creates a new Wear Test Brief that describes all of the parameters, rules, etc. for a given wear test.
2. Once that wear test becomes active, any wear tester can pre-register for that wear test.
3. The brand will use their administrative dashboard to search through the profiles of all wear testers on the site to find the ones that mean their criteria. In most cases the initial search will be based off quantitative data (i.e. the fields in your profile questionnaires that contains numerical values or a defined set of values like ‘How many years experience do you have?’). After narrowing their search, brands will likely utilize the free form data in wear tester profile (i.e. Bio, favorite memory, etc.) to make some final decisions.
4. Those wear testers selected by the brand will receive a notification asking them to register if they have not done so already.
5. The brand will then send the product being tested to all the selected wear testers.
6. Once the wear test starts, wear testers will receive emails on a semi-regular basis asking them to complete different surveys that the brands set up in order to get feedback on the product that is being tested.
7. At the end of the wear test, the brand will review the aggregated feedback data and make decisions on how to move forward with that product.
8. Wear testers get the free product and are scored on the quality of the feedback they were able to provide. The highest scorers over time can receive additional prizes and are more likely to be selected for additional wear tests in the future.

OK, that is all great. So, when do we get started?

Right now! If you haven’t already, register and complete your profile. After running our own internal beta test in a couple weeks we will start to try out a real wear tests next month. Looking forward beyond that, there is a lot of great stuff in the works.

We are all so excited to get this kicked off. If you are an enthusiast, you are going to love it!

MESH01 will be in Las Vegas for the ENKWSA conference February 6-8.  It is looking to be a fantastic show.  If you are in the neighborhood be sure to check us out at booth # 10345

I recently had the chance to catch up with David Dea the Director of Global Sourcing for ENKWSA.  We talked about this year’s changes to the ENKWSA show and what you can expect to see including the recently added ENKWSA Seminar Series.

Tell us about your role with the ENKWSA show.
I am the Director of Global Sourcing. I focus on bringing the suppy chain vendors to ENKWSA.
Its exciting to see that we are really looking to expand this area of our show by having additional product offerings to help with our attendees’ supply chain needs.

What is the ENKWSA show for those that are unfamiliar?
ENKWSA has 2 components. The Sourcing Show at ENKWSA is my focus. This is the largest, most comprehensive marketplace for footwear supply chain from concept to consumer. Supply chain is very important in the day to day of a footwear company. There are so many moving components to create a shoe from concept to completion and that is what The Sourcing Show at ENKWSA helps deliver.

ENKWSA also has the Affordable Fashion brands that exhibit at ENKWSA. This is an area where we focus on fashionable footwear that sells at higher volume.

Who is the show being directed at?
ENKWSA benfits retailers, designers, product developers, sourcing executives from all brands.

For those that have attended the show in the past, I understand that there is a new direction.  Can you tell us about the new direction of the WSA show and what kinds of things are being done to spice it up?
The direction of ENKWSA houses Affordable Fashion brands and Supply chain vendors from across the globe. We have included a seminar series to house intellectual topics that are of value to our attendees. There are more things to come for August 2012 some of which include working with Mesh01.

This year you are the running a free seminar series, tell us about what attendees can expect from the series.
ENKWSA’s seminar series is really exciting for your community. They can expect important topics to be addressed that can really help them with their business. These topics include:

Changes in the World Footwear Market from 1993 to 2025 and the Effect on the Volume of Soling Materials Required

Protecting your Footwear Designs– Design Patents

and Trade Dress and Branding in the USA – A Beginners Guide to Effectively Brand Your Products

Thanks for your time David, we will see you in Vegas.

Click Here To read more about the ENKWSA seminar series

If you would like to register for ENKWSA Click Here and be sure to stop by booth # 10345 to say hello.

In 2012 we want to make Designer of the Year even bigger by awarding cash or product prizes to the top 3 designers in 2012.  We will also be awarding a winner at the end of each quarter.

Some of you may be aware of the current points system where the top 8 designers in a competition receive points.  In 2012 we will be expanding our point system to also include designers who contribute content for our blog or are particularly helpful in the forums.

Point System

-       Top 8 designers in a competition earn points for their submissions

• 1^st        1000 pts
• 2^nd          800 pts
• 3^rd          600 pts
• 4^th          400 pts
• 5^th          300 pts
• 6^th          200 pts
• 7^th          100 pts
• 8^th             50 pts

-       200pts for user provided content that we run (blogs, Education, etc..)

• If you have content that you think would be of interest to the community, submit it by emailing nickh@mesh01.com

-       20 pts for a forum post that we find particularly helpful (will be rewarded at our discretion)

Designer of the year will be awarded to the designer who accumulates the most points from competitions that end in 2012.   Q1 winner will be the designer who accumulates the most points between January 1^st and March 31.  Q1 winner will receive $500.

We are interested in giving a way prizes other than just cash.  If you would like to recommend a prize other than cash that we could consider for either Designer of the year or our quarterly winner, you can suggest it here

We are proud to announce that Mark Kokavec AKA Renderman is the 2011 MESH01 Designer of the Year. I had the chance to talk with Mark to learn a little more about him and his background in design, he even tells us where you can learn his and other leading designer’s techniques.

  How did you learn about MESH01?

I was doing some “design” research online.

Had you participated in a design competition before?

I had never participated in an online competition but I had hosted a couple on my old website a few years back.  They were focused on footwear design and the winner was featured in SLAM magazine.

Can you tell us about your path towards becoming an Industrial designer?

Growing up, I was always an artist and realized I wanted to do something related to design while in High School.  It wasn’t until my best friend introduced me to the College For Creative Studies (CCS), where I decided to make “Design” a career.  I started studying Automotive Design at CCS and later transitioned into Product Design.  I never interned for a large company (but wish I had).  I landed my first job with Reebok 3 months prior to graduating.  Yes, I finished my degree before starting the new job!

After 6 years heading up the Tennis category, I moved to Converse to manage and lead their Basketball division.  Then it was off to Under Armour where I worked on Football, Baseball, Lacrosse, Soccer, Training, Slides, Kids and Basketball footwear.  My main responsibility was as Sr. Design Manager for Running and Trail.

What are some of the highlights of your career to date?

The exciting part of being a footwear designer is the opportunity to work closely with professional athletes.  I’ve have the opportunity to work closely with athletes at the top of their game such as… Venus Williams (Tennis), Chris McCormack (Iron Man) and Dwyane Wade (Basketball).  Seeing my designs on their feet during Grand Slams and Playoffs is a hard feeling to describe.  It’s very special.  Being part of that history, albeit in a small way, is extremely fulfilling.

What do you feel makes your designs and style different/unique from others?

The main difference is the integration of the digital medium into my process.  The way I use multiple software packages in harmony to achieve a final design is my “special recipe”.  I’m always looking for new processes to add into my workflow.  If there is a program that can help improve the final design, I try to figure out which parts to use and add them in.

Who are some of the designers / artists that you pull your inspiration from?

When I feel the need to get inspired, I typically turn to the entertainment industry.  I find the images and concepts to be full of creative energy and always come away with a refreshed and energized mind.  Daniel Simon’s “Cosmic Motors” picture book is always nearby.

In addition to designing you have also founded a company called Render Demo.  Can you tell us a little about what Render Demo does?

Render Demo started out as a hobby in 2008.  I wanted to share the skills and techniques that took me years to develop, with other designers.  I was fortunate to receive an education at CCS and realized that there are so many young artists and designers out there that (for whatever reason) wouldn’t be able to access this type of training.  So that’s when I decided to start Render Demo.

Render Demo consists of industry leading designers sharing their real-world techniques and processes through detailed video tutorials.  We currently focus on digital techniques but will be expanding our library to include traditional techniques like pen and paper, in the near future.

Our mission and goal is to provide artists and designers that are looking to improve on their current technique or interested in exploring new techniques, the means to do so.  From beginner to advanced level training, there is something for everyone.

For design training tutorials: http://www.renderdemo.com

I have personally seen one of Renderman’s live demos and would recommend it to any designer looking to expand on their techniques.

Where can our designers go to see more of your work?

For my portfolio and freelance design services: http://www.renderdemodesignstudio.com

Thank you for the interview, can you offer any words of advice to the other designers out there in the MESH01 community?

Never give up!  Keep pushing for your dream and do whatever it takes to live it.

One other thing… Always keep an open mind.  Taking criticism can be tough at times, but use it as a learning experience to grow and as a “fuel” to better yourself.

 I recently had the chance to catch up with D’Wayne Edwards, the Founder of PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy, and former Design Director at Brand Jordan.  We talked about about his design background, PENSOLE, and the new Prep School class.

Hello D’Wayne, where did your love for design, specifically footwear, originate?

DE: It started back in 1981 when I was 11. That is when I drew my first shoe. It was a football cleat. I was a big Pittsburgh Steelers/Franco Harris fan, so I would draw him in action poses. From that moment on, I was drawing sneakers throughout high school.

What really made me fall in love was one day I was looking in the LA Times for a job,(No internet back then), and I saw an ad for a Reebok design competition. I entered it and won. I guess they were not expecting a 17-year old kid to come in and collect the prize, which was a job at Reebok. I was too young to work for them so they gave me a couple hundred bucks and told me to come back to see them after I finished college. I was upset that I didn’t get the job, but I did buy a pair of new Air Jordan 2’s with my Reebok prize money.

Towards the end of my high school year, I was doing my usual, sitting in my drafting class, designing my own version of Air Jordan’s. Little did I know, I would actually get the opportunity to design them and get paid for it one day… What’s even crazier is the last shoe in class was the Air Jordan 2(courtesy of Reebok) and 12 years later one of my first assignments in JORDAN was to “redesign” the Air Jordan 2(Nu’ Retro 2). To this day, I still can’t believe it.

You have a pretty interesting tale of determination; tell us about how you broke into the footwear industry.

DE: After winning the Reebok competition, that gave me the confidence to believe that I could do this for a living. I then started looking for colleges to study footwear design, but none existed. So, I went to my high school counselor for help and she told me “give up on that dream of being a footwear designer because no black kid from Inglewood would ever do something like. Your best bet is to continue working at McDonald’s or join the military.” As a teenager, that devastated me. She was my “Guidance” counselor, however, she became one of my biggest sources of motivation. I had several things working against me. One, I am the youngest of 6 and there was no money to send me to college, let alone design school. Two, I started my college search late so I couldn’t get into any schools and I didn’t even know what a portfolio was.

I soon gave up on my dream of being a footwear designer and decided to go to community college at night studying Business while working at McDonald’s in the day. One day, a friend convinced me to quit Mickey D’s and work at his aunts Temp agency as a file clerk. Two weeks into the agency, I was assigned a file clerk position at one of the hottest footwear companies at that time, LA Gear. I know everyone reading this probably never heard of LA Gear, but trust me they were BIG in the 90’s.

Here I am, a few months out of high school and I am working at a footwear company. Yes, I am filing papers, but I am at a FOOTWEAR company and this close to my dream. One day the company announced that they wanted ideas from employees on ways to make the company better. They put wooden suggestion boxes in every department. This was 1988 and still no internet. For the next 6 months, my suggestions came everyday in the form of a new LA Gear shoe design, that I put in the box until the owner of the company Robert Greenberg (Chairman of Skechers, today) took notice. Then one day over the intercom I heard D’Wayne Edwards come to Robert’s office. Nervous and trying to figure out what I did wrong, I went to his office.  Sitting on his desk was all 180 of my designs. We talked for a few minutes and then he offered me an entry-level footwear design position. One month after my 19^th birthday I was a professional footwear designer, making me the youngest and one of the first African American professional footwear designers in the industry.

Once in the industry you have had the opportunity to work at some great places with some incredible designers.  Tell us a little bit about your climb to the top as Design Director at Brand Jordan?

DE: From day one, I made 3 promises to myself:

#1: Make my family proud by having the career my two of my older brothers(Michael and Ronnie, who were better artists than I would ever be and who taught me how to draw) did not get a chance to have because their lives were cut short at an early age. Update: I am still working on this.

#2: Prove to Robert he did not make a mistake by taking a chance on a young black kid from Inglewood. Update: And, after all these years I still feel the same way and we still keep in contact with each other.

#3: Provide opportunities to other aspiring designers like Robert did for me.  Start a school that teaches footwear design because there are more kids out there like me. Update: I dedicated many years of my career helping others and it took me 21 years but the school is open now.  

My journey started with LA Gear in 1989. In addition to the three points I listed above, the other thing I did from day one was be a sponge. My Mother once told me “a closed mouth does not get fed” and I live by those same words to this day. Back then, it was the key to my success. I was only 19 years old working with designers that had knowledge that I needed. I did more “listening than talking”. All that listening allowed me to work my way up to Sr. Designer within four years.

I left LA Gear and moved to Detroit to work for a small footwear company called MVP Footwear. They offered me more money. That was the ONE and only time I made a move for money and it was a mistake. Professionally it was a mistake because you should never let money guide you but at the same time it was a valuable lesson for me. For all of you aspiring and established Designers out there, don’t make a move for money. Make moves that will make you a better Designer, which will increase your value.

The next stop on my journey was back to LA to work with Robert Greenberg again, but this time at his new company called Skechers, which just signed a licensing deal to produce footwear for Street fashion pioneers Cross Colours and Karl Kani. Most of you reading this are too young to know those brands, but before Sean John, Rockawear and LRG these guys started what you know today as streetwear. I was Head Designer responsible for creating what you know today as urban or street footwear. One of the highlights for me while working on these brands was being the first designer to design Designer footwear (Kani) ever to be worn in the NBA when Skechers signed Derek Fisher to his first NBA endorsement contract in 1993. The Cross Colours and Kani licensing agreement ended and in 1998 Robert gave me my own brand called SITY. I replaced the “C” with an “S” for style because during my travels around the world I discovered that footwear had different styles in every city I visited. SITY’s retail debut was a success but it was short lived and was dissolved within 2 years. I received an amazing honor by SBG (Sporting Goods Business) when they ranked SITY, the second freshest (yes, they used the word fresh back in the day) brand to look out for behind JORDAN Brand.

In April of 2000 I accepted a position at Nike.  I began working for the company whose shoes I designed while sitting in drafting class in high school. I spent the first year in ACG and the next ten years in JORDAN.

Over the course of my 22-year career, I have worked with so many great Designers. I don’t want to single out 1 or 2 because I have learned different things from all of them. To this day, I try to be better than I was yesterday and I do this by being open to learn from everyone and everything around me.

Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” -Bruce Lee

 What made you decide to transition into education?

DE: Two things. One, I had a great career and I achieved more than I dreamed of as a Designer. As the years went by, I was more excited to see an aspiring designer that I mentored, shoes running up and down NBA floors or winning awards than my own. Second, I also always had a goal to leave this industry better than when I entered it. I figured I could do that by becoming a full-time Farmer….

Yes, a Farmer. Let me explain. One of the Farmers duties is to plants Seeds and I was planted back in 1989. Just like the Seeds you plant in the ground, I grew up to be blessed with a successful career, not for the riches or the fame but to plant more Seeds.

I am not sure how many Seeds I have planted during my career but I know they are out there and I know they have also planted their own Seeds combined with my goals for PENSOLE will make this industry better.   Be a Farmer, my friend…

 Almost 2 years ago you started PENSOLE; can you tell us about the program?

DE: PENSOLE is the third promise I made to myself on the first day of my professional career 23 years ago this month.

Instead of graduating from college after 4 years, I learned on the job and became a Senior Designer after 4 years. I “learned by doing”. Now, I say that not to say don’t go to college because if I could have afforded to go I would have gone. I say that because I learned the value of the teaching philosophy “learn by doing” which is why I designed PENSOLE to educate our students this way.

At PENSOLE we teach the fundamentals of working with your hands because during my time as a Footwear Design Director at JORDAN, I would see over 200 portfolio’s a year, full of pretty renderings, and adequate designs. I feel computers are making today’s students lazy and reducing the opportunity for them to actually think about what they are designing. Our goal is to teach you to think by designing in black and white using a N0.2 pencil until your design looks good enough to “deserve” color and a computer rendering. We just want you to think first.

I have assembled the most sought after faculty in footwear. Comprised of both young professional designers and established footwear design leaders from the Industry with over 100 years combined experience. I am proud to say that in less than two years we have over 20 former PENSOLE students that have started their professional careers at some of the industries top footwear brands; Nike, adidas, Under Armor, North Face, Wolverine, New Balance and JORDAN to name a few.

We have an exciting year planned beginning with moving into our new 4700 square foot building at the end of the month, that will eventually have everything you need to create a shoe from a pencil drawing to a handmade sample. We will have a wide range of programs from Saturday school for local Oregon students, night school for professional development, graduate programs and a full summer schedule. We are in the process of designing the new web-site which will feature a newsletter called SOLE FOOD that will feed you throughout the year on what’s going on at PENSOLE.

Email FeedMe@pensole.com to sign-up for the SOLE FOOD newsletter if you are interested in learning more about PENSOLE.

In March you will be launching a new class at PENSOLE called “Prep School”.  What is this class going to be about?

DE: PENSOLE Preparation School is a hands on 3-week program designed for graduate students to prepare for a professional career in the footwear industry.

Prep School classes will range from Personal Branding, Preparing for Interviews, Business of Design, Patternmaking, How to Create Collections, Bio-mechanics; and much more.

At PENSOLE Prep School, you will experience our rigorous “learn by doing” curriculum that will be customized to focus on specific areas of development. During each of these 3-week classes, you will be challenged to define who you are and who you want to be.

The first Prep School class is called: “Next Steps”. This class will feature several special guests from the Footwear Industry ranging from Design Directors, Design Managers, Recruiters, Hiring Managers and Staffing Agencies. These individuals are from top footwear brands and companies in the industry and they will share their knowledge in preparation for the “Next Step.”

 After these 3 weeks you will have a different outlook on design, how you present yourself, your work and how to work in a team environment. PENSOLE Prep School will also be the first graduating class taught at the new PENSOLE building in Portland, OR.

We are giving away a MESH01 scholarship for this class and other special prizes for students that register.

Registration ends on February 22 and class begins on March 12-31^st.

How can interested designers find more information and register for this class?

DE: You don’t have to go far. Click on the banner on the home page and you can register today. We have some exclusive Mesh01|PENSOLE opportunities for everyone who registers for the class. (or click here)

Before we head out, any words of wisdom for aspiring designers?

DE: Stay hungry and treat your first design and all those that follow, like it is your last. Don’t take short cuts. As a Designer, you have a gift and that gift will always give back to you, what you give to it.

Thanks, D’Wayne, for taking the time to talk with us. 

Designers can register for PENSOLE’s Prep School class HERE