AIR MOC & CONVERTIBLE DUNK

WASN’T THERE A CONSIDERED MOC?
Yes, and although I’m obviously biased, I like it far better than the original. It’s made in a very Considered way, is a higher performance product with almost no adhesives, snap together fit, and made with some of the best quality materials on Earth by the best factory in all of Asia.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SHOE DESIGN THESE DAYS?
I still see stuff out there that’s inspiring. Although I have to admit that most of the cool stuff I see my friends doing in the Kitchen, some of which will never see the light of day, is far more interesting and high performance than most anythingI see on the market. I still love shoe design though. For me, nothing is more challenging and difficult than designing shoes for sport. Every product has so many considerations. Every design has to look good, perform well and be durable. In as many as 15 different sizes! Try making a size 20 basketball shoe that doesn’t look like a tugboat.

ARE COMPANIES TAKING DESIGN RISKS ANYMORE?
Designers are taking plenty of risks. However, marketers are taking no risks and retailers are willing to take even fewer risks. I agree with and admire the retro craze because it kind of gets back to basics. Even that will eventually get stale. Hopefully, when it does, a lot of the cool stuff I see done in the Innovation Kitchen will make it to people’s feet. Also, the fact is, people say they want to be different but the trouble is, they all want to be ‘the same different’. That equals a lot of sameness in the market.

DID YOU ALSO WORK ON THE AIR REVADERCHI? THAT SHOE WAS WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME.
Yes, that was fun to work on. The mountain bike tire from the Rockquasock combined with inspiration from Trip Allen’s Air Terra and Tinker’s original Mowabb inspired the Air Revaderchi.