For the first post of the new year I decided to go back to basics. Using elements from a previous thumbnail sketch, I whipped up a clean, low-cut versatile bike sneaker for bombing around the city. I started with a simple blucher construction with a low cut sidewall. I then incorporated a classic court style toe on the cupsole to fit snug with slide in pedal clips. 

The upper features a continued evolution of my initial branding elements. The lateral stripe has a slightly faster pitch than the absolute perpendicular stripe of previous designs. The logo execution is a small woven label flag stitched under the lateral eyestay. I think the asymmetrical design of this concept adds some dynamism without pushing it far outside of the aesthetic I’ve developed so far. 

The mesh underlays are constructed from a breathable spacer mesh on the quarter joined via closed-seam with a tight single layer textile at the collar. In addition to adding comfort and breathability, the two contiguous meshes will add substantial material depth. 

Lately I’ve been thinking about different ways to apply the ‘last’ logo on some of my conceptual designs. I wanted to play around with some large scale branding executions and expand my design aesthetic. Ironically, it was while sketching some directional fashion sneakers that I came across a thumbnail for a mid-cut skate style that would be optimal for a big logo treatment. 

Right off the bat, big branding on a shoe is going to alienate a large number of consumers. Combined with a mid-cut collar, this concept is going to appeal to a very select number of sneakerheads. What this shoe boasts is a lightweight foam midsole that is exposed in the heel and concealed in the front by the rubber outsole wrap. This will reduce the weight of the sole greatly while maintaining high abrasion protection from grip tape. The nylon plastic heel clip provides color balance with the forefoot outsole wrap and helps visually maintain a consistent midsole top line. 

The blucher construction of the upper and the closed seam between the eyestay and the forefoot quarterpanel will also ensure longer durability against flip tricks. While the double eyelet rows at the collar theoretically provide more lacing options, the second row of eyelets provides aesthetic integration with the large logo embroidery. The laser-cut microperforations of the big logo are balanced with an identical perf pattern on the front quarter.

I’m pretty pleased with the large branding execution. I was worried it would feel contrived or slapped on, but I think the tonal color blocking of the embroidery as well as its integration with the eyelets make it feel like an intentional design element.  This design would make a great performance skate shoe and the slim forefoot would serve you well with bike clips. 

Now that Summer is in full effect, I’ve been logging quite a few hours on my longboard. It must be influencing my creative thought process because most of my recent thumbnail sketches have been skate inspired. After one false start which ate up some time messing around in Illustrator, I landed upon a design that I was proud enough to post. 

I started with a simple U-throat lace closure and a cupsole with a medium sidewall height. From there, I added a substantial forefoot overlay to protect against grip tape abrasion. A lot of basic skate shoes have a problem with forefoot seam placement, which results in a deteriorating upper with moderate use. With this design, the rear quarter and vamp would be joined separately underneath the toecap overlay. The toecap would be stitched on last, making the seams inconsequential to the structural integrity of the overall shoe.

The design lines of this shoe are quite faster than most previous designs. The organic forms of the rear quarter overlay add a contemporary performance aesthetic. While this is slightly more progressive than previous designs, I felt that the integration of the logo stripe helped maintain a connection to the other designs without feeling contrived.