The Directive Collective

Education. It doesn’t stop when you graduate. As mentioned in my last video - How to be a Footwear Designer thinking small, doing big is one of the most important points to consider in your ongoing education. Your first job - what you do and who you work with (and for) will shape your career path as a designer probably more than all the years of school that got you there. Working in a smaller brand, doing more big things can often get you further ahead than that tiny jo...b at a huge brand. I was lucky to land a job @power_footwear the year I graduated (2001) and had a great mentor- Brand Manager, Jim Russell who always gave me the opportunity to learn. I was able to spend 100+ days a year in China. Made all international sales meeting presentations. Designed, developed and managed 300+ SKUs a season and had a hand in product graphics, packaging, catalog creative direction and more. I hired and managed a team. All in my first 3 years. Choose your job to learn, not for title, prestige or brand. You only get a first job once. ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #shoedesign #shoedesigner #design #designer #designeducation #industrialdesign #footwearindustry See more

#TBT to #propercourse technical sailing inspired sandal. Ever seen a @boafitsystem sandal? Me neither but think it would be pretty cool. Is it summer yet? ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #shoedesign #sneakerdesign #sneakersketch... #sketch #sketching #sketches #sketchbook #sketchdaily #sketchaday #sketchoftheday #IDsketching #designsketch #industrialdesign #sketchbook

Only thing more Canadian than all the snow we just got would be some @roots winter boots! ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #shoedesign #sneakerdesign #sneakersketch... #sketch #sketching #sketches #sketchbook #sketchdaily #sketchaday #sketchoftheday #IDsketching #designsketch #rootscanada #industrialdesign #fashiondesign #boots

Still not sure if this is a toy or a tool...With real work to do, I hardly have had time to do much playing around this.. maybe 3 hours total messing around including this 40min VR @gravitysketch sketch. Is it worth keeping around to use once a month or should this thing go back to @oculus ? ... #vr #gravitysketch #gravitysketchvr #footweardesign #footweardesigner #sketch #sketching #3dsketch

If you know, you know. ... #footweardesign #footwear #footweardesigner #shoe #shoesaddict #sneakers #sneaker #sneakeraddict #footwearnews

In addition to FORM A/W, we actually had a whole line of @polartecfabric @skorarunning All Weather + Trail running footwear planned. New materials are often the source of inspiration and from upper materials to new outsole compounds, design is just as often rethinking and repurposing as it it making something 100% new. Here, we explored a soft shell DWR fabric for internal lining material in combination with water resistant @pittards_uk goat leather. This application of Polar...tec had never been done before on footwear at the time. In addition, I found a new flexible yet puncture proof carbon fibre material from safety footwear for use as a rock plate. @rkuchinsky CORE A/W circa 2014. Never happened. ... #footweardesign #footweardesignconsultant #footweardesigner #runningshoedesign #run #running #trailrunning #skorarunning #sketch #sketching #sketches #idsketching #idsketch #industrialdesign See more

Straight outta the archives. Spotted in the latest design @rkuchinsky ... @skorarunning TEMPO A/W. All weather version with @polartecfabric Upper. Never happened. These samples may be the only ones in existence. Circa 2014 planned for FW15. ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #skorarunning #runreal #runningshoes #run #running

Road vs. Trail running footwear design. Full @rkuchinsky ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #runningshoedesignerswhorun #sketch #sketching #idsketch #idsketching #sketches

It all starts someplace. Digging through some archives and found this lost last tape up of the @skorarunning FORM. Circa November 2009 this concept was before there was model name, or even a final brand logo. Asymmetric in design with internal sock fit construction under leather upper with mid foot strap challenging the status quo was the brief direction. ... #skorarunning #footweardesign #footweardevelopment #footweardesigner #runningshoedesign #realdesignersship #runreal #run #running

football boots for days.. ... #TBT #sketch concepts for @pele circa 2011. Never produced. ... #footweardesign #footweardesigner #sketch #sketching #idsketching #design #designer #sketchbook #footballboots #soccerboots #pele #footyboots