Vans Forty-Four Hi
In 2008 I was chosen by Vans Footwear to design a shoe to represent the Southeast. They were planning to relaunch the Forty-Four Hi and wanted the fours corners of America to battle it out for best shoe.
Years ago I designed a shoe DC Shoe Co. so I was already aware of how the process worked. This time around Vans Footwear gave me carte blanche because of my experience. The first thing people want to do is add every feature under the sun. This time around though I went for the simple look. The shoe is made of ripstop, wool and suede. There is also a secret to these shoes but to find out you'll have to see them in person. As a skateboarder I wanted this shoe to be something that people could skate in and something that would hold up over time, which is more than I can say for the other three shoes.
The images are taken from the site www.hypebeast.com because their professional photographer took much better pictures than I ever could.
I designed the shoes around the spotty military history of the Southeast, while it is not a glorious history it is something that defines the region. I used wool and suede to pay homage to the uniforms that militia men and soldiers wore during the Revolutionary and Civil War. The stars on the back are a tribute to the many Presidents and Generals that were born in the Southeast. Finally the ripstop is a reference to the parachute factory in Richmond Virginia that manufactured parachutes for WWII out of the then newly developed textile, you guessed it, ripstop.
While the shoes I designed aren't as flashy as their counterparts, they do tell a story and function as a real skate shoe. Im proud to have been a part of the project and hope that I get invited back.
Picture of the sample shoes Vans sent me early on in the process. Note the difference in the colors from the final product. They had originally planned on it being a low. Half way through they changed their minds, not a problem, I can adapt to anything thrown my way.
Years ago I designed a shoe DC Shoe Co. so I was already aware of how the process worked. This time around Vans Footwear gave me carte blanche because of my experience. The first thing people want to do is add every feature under the sun. This time around though I went for the simple look. The shoe is made of ripstop, wool and suede. There is also a secret to these shoes but to find out you'll have to see them in person. As a skateboarder I wanted this shoe to be something that people could skate in and something that would hold up over time, which is more than I can say for the other three shoes.
The images are taken from the site www.hypebeast.com because their professional photographer took much better pictures than I ever could.
I designed the shoes around the spotty military history of the Southeast, while it is not a glorious history it is something that defines the region. I used wool and suede to pay homage to the uniforms that militia men and soldiers wore during the Revolutionary and Civil War. The stars on the back are a tribute to the many Presidents and Generals that were born in the Southeast. Finally the ripstop is a reference to the parachute factory in Richmond Virginia that manufactured parachutes for WWII out of the then newly developed textile, you guessed it, ripstop.
While the shoes I designed aren't as flashy as their counterparts, they do tell a story and function as a real skate shoe. Im proud to have been a part of the project and hope that I get invited back.
Picture of the sample shoes Vans sent me early on in the process. Note the difference in the colors from the final product. They had originally planned on it being a low. Half way through they changed their minds, not a problem, I can adapt to anything thrown my way.