Sneaker School - Day 3

After day 2, The Shoe Surgeon took our leathers to be skived.  Skiving is the removal of leather to reduce the thickness.  The overlapping pieces of leather were skived to fit together properly during bonding and stitching.

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In Learning About: Flat Knitting, I researched traditional sewing and found this video that explain the sewing process nicely.

Sewing is all about repetition.  I worked one stitch at a time on scrap pieces, until I felt comfortable to work on my pieces.  A sewing machine engages everything: arms, legs, eyes and ears.  The foot pedal, holding lining up the materials, listening to the hum of the machine.

After a few sloppy stitches, I started comparing my work to the one created by Nike on a high volume production line.  Perfect lines sewed by a person with years of experience?

Mass Production Sewing

Mass Production Sewing

Should I start that row over?  Should the stitches look exactly like the original? No.  Our learning comes from making "mistakes".

Each stitch told the story of learning by doing.  I am gaining confidence and building my custom creation, one stitch at a time.

UP NEXT - DAY 4 - More stitching/sewing and Lasting

Sneaker School - Day 2

I came in early on Day 2 because I wasn't very confident in the accuracy of my patterns.  After removing loose threads and adhesive from the edges and being more deliberate, the re-cut patterns were ready to roll.

Normally, the left and right shoe are made with different patterns.  For time and simplicity, we used one pattern to make the left and right shoe.  We had to take extra effort to ensure that certain pieces were symmetrical.

Next was material selection.  Ecco Leather had so many different colors and textures that it was tough to decide on the 2-3 to work with.

The pair I deconstructed had a white/red outsole, so I knew it was best for the swoosh to match the outsole. 1st color - Red.  The design of the AJ 1 incorporates a straight lines throughout (see below), so I wanted to pick a textured natural pattern to offset those lines but also connect with the outsole.  2nd color - black and white textured natural pattern.  I went with a natural white leather to balance the pattern.  3rd color - white leather.

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Along with the base materials, I choose two accent pieces, a hexagonal stamp pressed leather, along with a swatch of my own deconstructed Airmax 2016 FlyKnit's.   The hex and flyknit pieces are my way of infusing technology and personal inspiration into my design.

Here are the four materials I selected for my AJ 1 (brought to you by Ecco Leather.)

Next step was tracing the pattern onto the leather pieces and cutting the material.

The end result from day 2.

UP NEXT - DAY 3 - Skiving and Sewing

Sneaker School - Day 1

The Decon/Recon course started today in Downtown LA.

Prior to the start of class, we selected a base shoe for customization. 

I chose to build my custom sneaker from the Air Jordan 1, designed by Peter Moore.  Besides the color of the outsole, the base colorway of the shoe doesn't matter, we will be replacing all the upper materials with a selection of leathers from Ecco Leather.

Air Jordan 1

Air Jordan 1

The first step in the deconstruction is removing the stitching and the outsole from the upper.

The bone folder, one of the tools we received with the class, is vital for separating the leather from the outsole without damaging either surface.

Removing the sole using a bone folder

Removing the sole using a bone folder

After the outsole is removed, I deconstructed the upper starting with the swoosh.

A thread puller and exacto knife were used to remove each component with surgical precision.

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There are over 1000 individual stitches in each shoe.  During the deconstruction process, I could see deeper into the footwear manufacturing process.  I started to understand how and why pieces are shaped in a certain way.  Why double and triple stitches exist at critical points in the shoe.  You can see the amount of labor that goes into making each pair of shoes.

Swooshless

Swooshless

The end result was 15 pieces needed for pattern tracing.

The final product of deconstruction

The final product of deconstruction

The final task for day 1 was pattern tracing.

Along with tracing the outside profile of each piece, we had to trace the stitch lines for all pieces that overlap other pieces.

UP NEXT - DAY 2 - material selection and pattern cutting

Sources

http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2015/05/why-the-chicago-jordan-1-matters

Kaizen Kung-Fu

Kaizen is the concept of making improvements to make people, processes, things incrementally better. 

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is one of my favorite movies.  I discovered it through listening to Wu-Tang Clan.  One of my favorite examples of Kaizen is in this movie. 

 

A majority of the film takes place in a Shaolin monastery, where the main character San-Te, is learning Kung-Fu.  Through each of the 35 training chambers, he is met with unique physical and mental challenges.  Through repeated failure along with incremental improvements, San Te is able to defeat all 35 chambers faster than anyone before.

 

The justice officer for the monastery, seeing San Te unfit, challenges him to a duel.  In the first match, San Te is defeated.  Using the Kaizen process, he chooses a different weapon.  In the 2nd match, his fighting skills improved, but he still loses.  After the 2nd loss, instead of using an existing weapon, San Te created one.

 

 

 

 

To defeat the sword, he needed a weapon that could create distance and light for attacking, but also strong for blocking.  He made a three sectioned staff.

The new and different defeated the traditional through continuous improvement.

The air out there

M Frank Rudy, an aerospace engineer, patented the Nike Air cushioning system in 1979. 

This was 8 years before David Forland and Tinker Hatfield made Nike Air infamous by making the air visible in the Air Max 1 in 1987.

After seeing the blow mold process used for NASA space helmets, Frank used these insights to create the air bag for footwear applications.

“Frank Rudy found that the work he was doing for NASA could also be of practical use on the ground. He was able to encapsulate dense gases into rubber membranes creating a gas or “AIR” bag. The rubber molding processes he and his NASA colleagues were working with allowed for the creation of a hollowed out midsole to fit the air bag. The technology would exponentially decrease the impact a single step has on the body.”
— http://sneakerhistory.com
““He wasn’t one to shy away from the ultimate challenge. The bigger the problem the more complex the problem, the deeper he dug in.” ”

Frank took his ideas to footwear companies back in the 70's, no one was interested.   There was a culture of risk aversion to changing existing manufacturing processes.

Until Nike took a risk on an aerospace engineer with a crazy idea on changing the existing manufacturing process.

““Frank Rudy holds a singular place in the pantheon of Nike innovation. His relentless creativity and focus on solving problems was, in many ways, the template for how Nike pursues performance to this very day.””
— Mark Parker

An aerospace engineer with relentless creativity and a focus on solving problems.

Frank passed away in 2009, but the effects of his innovations are still changing the footwear manufacturing process today with shoes like the Nike Vapormax

Thank You Frank

The future of footwear

Imagine a time in the not too distant future. 

You will walk up to a automated machine in the mall, put on a headset and begin to design you own shoes.

Nike's recent patent for augmented and mixed reality technologies.

Nike's recent patent for augmented and mixed reality technologies.

When the upper and midsole designs are finalized, it's sent over to two separate machines, where the upper and midsoles are printed out. The upper is a flat knitted.  The midsole would either be 3D printed, or fully injection molded and kept in on-site inventory.

For this scenario to become a reality, the next step in the process, the bonding of the upper to the midsole, would have to be automated.

From the two videos above, and for 99% of shoes created today, the upper/midsole connection is a hands-on labor intensive process.

I believe that bonding process is the biggest constraint to the future of the rapid manufacturing in the footwear industry.

Count the number of hands that were involved in the manufacturing of these ultraboosts below.

Nike, recently submitted a patent for a steamer used on a knitted upper to give the consumer a one of a kind fit.

I think something else could be going on.

With water activated adhesives already in use in the industry, this steamer box could become part of a new process to bond the upper to the midsole.  If the fibers were coated in a water activated adhesive, then knitted on the base of the upper and the perimeter of the shoe, you could potentially create a strong enough bond between the upper and the midsole during the steaming process.  When the customer tries on the shoes for the first time, they would apply pressure to the upper/midsole bond and form the shoe to their foot.

Another possibility, would be to mechanically knit the upper directly to the midsole during the initial manufacturing steps.  The design of the midsole would have to be modified to allow for fibers to loop through and provide support. 

Below is the concept in action on the Nike Considered line back in 2007.

Nike Considered Long Ball Slip-On

Nike Considered Long Ball Slip-On

With negative environmental effects from shipping, labor costs rising, and the demand customized products, I'm know Nike and Adidas have something cooking in the kitchen.

Sources

http://www.investors.com/news/flyknit-future-nike-files-for-portable-shoe-steaming-box-patent/

https://hypebeast.com/2007/9/nike-considered-long-ball-slip-on

http://uploadvr.com/nike-ar-system-design-clothes/

My love for the 5

The Air Jordan V was designed by Tinker Hatfield, with a 3M reflective tongue, translucent outsole, and molded ankle collar.  All three features were firsts for basketball shoes from Nike.

The design was inspired by the grey nurse shark and Supermarine Spitfire MK 8.

What made the Air Jordan 5 special was the fact that they were different and I picked them.  The materials and design were new, they caught my attention.  At 10 years old, I wasn't a #nikehead just yet, I was just beginning to learn who Michael Jordan was.  This shoe introduced me to Michael Jordan, fighter jet airplanes, the idea of design and different being a good thing. 

My curiosity was sparked.  I had something that was different.   I studied and dissected the shoes when I couldn't wear them anymore.  I flashed a light on the tongue from all angles to see the 3M glow.  I ripped apart the mesh panels, cut out the tongue and took out visible air units from the sole.  This was my first shoe deconstruction.

Knowing where the design came from, I started down the path to learning more about airplanes. I started building model airplanes like the F-15.  With each model I started with the part disassembled, the opposite of what I did to the Jordan.  My mind switched from deconstruction, to assembly and how to connect these parts into something that can fly.

My childhood of model airplanes and Air Jordan's started from something new and different and led me down the engineering path. 

It was more than a shoe, it was potential, it was the catalyst to my curiosity, it was the origin to the path I've taken professionally.  Every time I see a pair of Jordan V's, I'm reminded to embrace the new and different.  The new and different will lead to creativity, growth, and improvement.

 

 

 

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Space and sneakers

“Some of Nike’s coolest collaborations seem to defy marketability. Marc Newson, an Australian industrial designer, befriended Mr. Parker around 2001 and soon offered up “an interesting idea” for “the guys in space” — collapsible footwear featuring a sock-like inner shoe; a detachable rubber sole; and a perforated outer shoe which looks a bit like Swiss cheese. Messrs. Parker and Newson named the shoe “Zvezdochka,” after the fifth Soviet dog to be sent into space.

The resulting “modular” shoe had all the hallmarks of a vanity project. The limited edition sneakers appeared in 2004 and sold for $120 in New York’s Moss. They were an instant, if brief, hit. “This is a cult item in the art world,” says Mr. Parker.

When Mr. Parker walked into the Laguna art show, the psychedelic painter Robert Williams approached him to proudly show off his Zvezdochkas. Mr. Parker thinks the sneaker concept — still being adapted for a broader market — will eventually have commercial wings. “There’s no question” that it will reach the mainstream, he says.”
— http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119317864699068959

The ZVEZDOCHKA is named after a Russian space dog launched into orbit aboard Sputnik 10 on March 25 1961 along with famous Russian mannequin Ivan Ivanovich.

ZVEZDOCHKA

ZVEZDOCHKA

Thinking about a space ship, you can see the influence of a cage structure.

Aboard the ISS

Aboard the ISS

Marc Newson sketch

Marc Newson sketch

Alveoli style with holes of different shapes and sizes also influenced this design.

The shoe:

Some may comapre this to a croc, besides the color, these two shoes are worlds apart.

“Truly innovative design often challenges current development methods, which these certainly did. Developed entirely via 3D modelling, the Zvezdochka is a mixture of four separate pieces. ”
— Mr Bailey /conceptkicks.com

This shoe is one example of aerospace influence leading to footwear innovation.

Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook (review)

Beyond the awesome photos, Prodigy talks about the resourcefulness of people in prison who want to improve through eating better.

The things Prodigy shares in this "cookbook" were made with 2 toaster ovens, a microwave and a whole lot of butter/sugar.   

I really enjoyed reading this "cookbook", it was 115 pages with a few good prison stories to set the stage for the featured dishes.

““eating right, will have you thinking right, which will have you living right””
— my takeaway from Commissary Kitchen

I recommend you buy this book if you are:

  • familiar with Prodigy and his other books (My Infamous Life/ H.N.I.C )
  • curious to see how people eat, cook and survive mentally in prison
  • want to try making & eating prison meals
  • support a person of color in sharing his message to humanize the prison experience

KICKS IN MY KITCHEN

The kitchen is where a chef (like David Chang) turns the everyday into something completely new.

Romaine and walnut bagna cauda

Romaine and walnut bagna cauda

The kitchen is also where Bill Bowerman using his wife's waffle iron created an outsole with a gridded pattern and grip traction, completely new at that time.

Bill Bowerman at a Eugene lab circa 1980.

Bill Bowerman at a Eugene lab circa 1980.

FOOD and FOOTWEAR

Creativity in the kitchen can lead you to creating a new dish, or a new breakthrough in footwear.