FEIT Shoes: The handmade leather shoes from Sydney have landed stateside at Dover Street Market and now Assembly New York

FEIT Shoes


Founded by the Price brothers, FEIT has been admired for some time—not only for their minimal design aesthetic, but also their dedication to “fighting” the retail system and swimming against the current. This battle includes having…

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Nike Free 10th Anniversary: Tobie Hatfield on Listening to the Athletes (and Looking to the Kitchen) for Inspiration

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There’s a good chance that even those of you who aren’t runners are familiar with Nike Free footwear, whether you wear them for other sports or training or as a go-to sneaker for your day-to-day activities. While Tobie Hatfield (Tinker’s brother, for the uninitiated) had originally designed the articulated midsole based on the biomechanics of barefoot running, the shoes have been adapted for (and adopted by) anyone who spends time on their feet—in keeping with the Nike credo “if you have a body, then you’re an athlete”—which is to say, everyone.

Of course, the concept of Natural Motion is a natural extension (so to speak) of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman’s seminal insight into performance footwear: that it should “provide protection and traction but minimal weight and zero distraction.” But like most any design challenge, it’s easier said than done. For more on the history and background of the Free—now in its tenth year, Nike recently unveiled the 2014 Collection—we had the chance to chat with Hatfield, Director of Athlete Innovations, on his personal journey, the inspiration behind the Free and what the future holds for Nike.

Core77: Let’s start with a bit of your background—tell me a little bit about yourself and how you ended up at Nike.

Tobie Hatfield: Sure—I was a track athlete, grew up in the state of Oregon and knew Coach Bill Bowerman (I didn’t know Phil Knight when he was an athlete). When I was a senior in high school, he actually made me my first pair of custom-made track spikes. At first, he X-rayed my feet to actually find out where my bony prominences are, underneath my foot, so he could re-drill the holes and put the spikes in the proper places just for my foot. Little did I know, at that time, he was already starting to teach me about innovation—about working with an athlete, listening to an athlete…

It’s something that I look back on, even today, 23+ years later at Nike… but I didn’t know I was going to be a footwear engineer, footwear designer, I really wanted to be a track coach—my dad was a track coach for 40+ years. After high school, I went to college, and then I [continued] pole-vaulting for a couple more years. I got into coaching, and I coached at the collegiate level.

During that time, Nike was recruiting me because I spoke Mandarin, because I was married at the time, and my wife is from Taiwan. They were always trying to get people to go overseas, to work with the factories, and knowing that I already spoke one of the languages would make it a bit easier.

But I denied that for a while until my dad came down with cancer—I’d been away from Oregon for about ten years at that time and felt like things were pulling me back to the state… like, well, if I’m going to go back, I might as well go ahead and see what Nike has to offer, so I accepted their offer to have some interviews. At the end of a week of many days of interviews, I was actually offered two jobs, and I took the one where I actually started learning about materials, which is perfect because [at the time] I didn’t know much about shoes at all, let alone the ingredients of them.

Nike-Lineup.jpgA brief history of Nike Innovation: Cortez (1972), Nike Sock Racer (1985), Air Huarache (1991), Air Rift (1995), Air Presto (2000)

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VICO Bowery Contrast Leather Shoes

VICO è un brand di footwear europeo fondato tra Rotterdam. Montebelluna e Porto. Queste sono le Bowery e le trovate direttamente sul loro store online.

VICO Bowery Contrast Leather Shoes

Cool Hunting Video: Nike Magista: The next step in football combines innovative design and technology

Cool Hunting Video: Nike Magista


Not long ago, Nike invited us to Barcelona, Spain for the unveiling of their latest shoes, which are yet another step forward in the revolutionizing of football boots. The ); return…

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Nike to Release Marty McFly’s Back to the Future 2 MAGs–With Power Lace Feature!

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In 2011 Nike released the Nike MAGs, based on the design of the kicks Michael J. Fox wore in Back to the Future 2. Supply of the limited-edition sneakers were constrained to boost value, as proceeds were sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, netting some $6 million.

While the production MAGs looked like what McFly wore in the movie, they lacked the cool self-lacing feature dreamt up by an imaginative designer (possibly the movie’s Costume Designer Joanna Johnston, Production Designer Rick Carter or Art Director Margie Stone McShirley). However, the sneakerhead corner of the blogosphere is currently abuzz with fresh news: Nike designer Tinker Hatfield was quoted at a recent event on whether the MAGs would be re-released for 2015, the year that McFly wore the kicks in the movie. Here’s the one sentence of Hatfield’s making the rounds:

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Tornano le éS

Quando ripenso alle éS ripercorro il mio punto più alto di scalcagnato sk8er fatto di nomi come Erik Koston, Rick McCrank, Tom Penny e il leggendario Menikmati. Dopo una lunga assenza sugli scaffali tornano con una serie limitata distribuita solo in selezionati store tra USA e Giappone, tuttavia direi sempre sempre sul pezzo.

eS skateboarding

eS skateboarding

eS skateboarding

Footwear by Q Designs Transcends Categorization

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One of the biggest barrier for designers getting their work to the public is the current state of large scale physical retail, which can inhibit risk taking and reward products that are overly conservative. The goal is often to bring products to retail that are already proven. By definition this is going to limit designs that are more niche and interesting, and make designs that are disruptive almost impossible to bring to market.

Perhaps this is why so many people are slightly infatuated with crowdfunding, where a person can have a dream, put some effort in, and directly reach the end user. This process of direct communication with end users eliminates the opinions of dozens of retailers and can appeal to very specific and niche audiences. I don’t back a ton of campaigns, but I love surfing through them. A few of our discussion group members even have a slight addiction problem. After all, it does feel a bit like your own personal version of Shark Tank.

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Nike SB Lunar One Shot: A lightweight, data-driven skate shoe designed to maximize board feel and minimize break in time

Nike SB Lunar One Shot


While some purists still dispute Nike’s presence in skateboarding, there’s no denying their contribution to skate shoe design and development. The latest tech to reach the market lies within the Lunar One Shot, a…

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Airia CEO Mattias Geisler Explains the Design Behind the Airia One, What He Claims is the World’s Fastest Running Shoe

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You can never predict where athletic shoe design is going. While they all have the same goal of making the wearer move quicker or better, they all have entirely different ways of doing that. Adidas’ springy kicks, Puma’s rubberband-like Mobium runners and Reebok’s straight-up strange looking “off road” sneaks are all examples of this phenomenon. But the Airia One from Sweden-based Airia Running is looking to top the list when it comes to speed factor. They’ve created a shoe that shaves 1% (on average) off of your running time. Check out this video explaining the testing process with Airia Running CEO Mattias Geisler:

We had a chance to catch up with Geisler, who shared insight into the 20-year development process behind his the shoe, and how the Airia One’s unusual aesthetic conveys the spirit of the product itself.

Airias-Mattias-Geisler.jpgAiria Running CEO Mattias Geisler

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Cycling shoes by Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike

London Design Festival 2013: footwear designer Tracey Neuls has teamed up with Tokyobike to create handmade shoes with rubber soles and reflective strips especially for cycling.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek camel reflective

Tracey Neuls launched the cycling shoes for bike brand Tokyobike during this week’s London Design Festival.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek black reflective

The shoes feature rubber soles moulded in a single piece, which are designed to fit comfortably against bike pedals.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Fern grey reflective

The range includes Fern laced ankle boots, with small heels and a reflective strip stitched up the back for cycling in the dark.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek camel reflective

Geek shoes also have reflective detailing on the back and are available in black or camel. “Perfect for cycling or walking the city,” said Neuls.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek black reflective

The shoes are available from Tokyobike, 87-89 Tabernacle Street, and Tracey Neuls East, 73 Redchurch Street, until the end of the design festival on Sunday.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek black reflective

Tracey Neuls has previously collaborated with designer Tord Boontje to design a range of shoes featuring autumn leaves and illustration collective Le Gun to create a range of shoes inspired by items discovered inside a suitcase.

Tracey Neuls for Tokyobike
Geek neon red

See more stories about shoes »
See all our stories about London Design Festival 2013 »
See Dezeen’s map and guide to London Design Festival 2013 »

Photographs are courtesy of Tracey Neuls.

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for Tokyobike
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