Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tinker toys...

heart and sole...

While the Jumpman logo is recognized as a universal symbol of swagger, you may be less familiar with the designer behind the iconic brand, Tinker Hatfield. He didn’t design every kick in the Air Jordan line. But the fact that his contributions stand out as icons in a series considered the pinnacle of sneaker design demands respect. After earning his stripes as a Bill Bowerman understudy, the now 55-year-old Hatfield went on to line his resume with designs like the groundbreaking Air Max 1 and his highlight reel of kicks for His Airness.

He is the renowned designer of many of Nike's most popular and innovative athletic shoe designs, including the Air Jordan III, the Air Jordan XV, the twentieth anniversary Air Jordan XX, and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen" and has designed the "last" jordan series shoe, Air Jordan XXIII.

As a trained architect, Hatfield has a different approach to sneaker design. He has translated museums (Air Max 1), fighter jets (Jordan V) and even lawn mowers (Jordan XI) into some of the best sneakers to ever pound the pavement and the hardwood. He even designed the "Marty Mcfly's from Back to the Future" f.y.i on the cover of Kanye's album cover, graduation, the flying bear is wearing the "McFly's"...dayum I wish nike would release these shoes...as you can see his influence and inspiration in the sneaker game is undeniable and with stroke of a pencil he was able to changed the face of how we look and wear shoes...thanks Tinker!

Nike Mcfly's w/ power laces...

jordan xx3

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