I'm 41. In 1985 I went to Shut Up and Skate in Houston, Texas. My favorite skater was Lance Mountain. He signed my t-shirt, along with McGill, Steadham, Hosoi, and Caballero.
Look-see samples are the first physical version of a shoe, somtimes non-functioning, created so that those involved in the process can look and see how the shoe is progressing. These are men's size 9 and women's size 7.
Weartest samples are functional shoes made to be worn by athletes who...
- I chose a temporary contract position in Basketball over a permanent position in Soccer because hoops was where I wanted to be. I think I stated earlier that my contract wasn't renewed due to a hiring freeze in several categories. Working there was as demanding and enjoyable as any other...
rck2sactown-
You can drop them a line and ask if anything's coming up - let them know if you're playing in a league. A lot of it depends on submitting complete fedback on time. When I was there, the two main sample sizes were 9 and 13 but they were expanding into a broader size run.
- Someone else asked about getting into the financial side of NIKE earlier, too. I can't speak from firsthand experience but I would assume because NIKE is such a high profile global company that the competition is greater than average. You can check nikebiz.com for internships. I would think...
PLM = Product Line Manager
PO2345, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
As a coordinator, I was at the bottom of the R&D heirarchy, so I didn't attend many team meetings with the higher ups. My perspective is limited as far as titles and roles played in what was a very long, complex process. I'm...
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Catch22,
Were you referring to me? I wasn't trying to diminish anyone's part in the process. The developers are insanely talented. Craig Santos was one of my favorite people at NIKE.
I'll try to give a very simplified outline of the process from conception to retail.
- Inspiration can be shaped by different factors such as a specific technology, event, signature athlete, previous shoes, vehicles, etc...
- A rendering (blueprint) is finalized.
- Factories make look-see...
- I've only taught Pre-K so far, so the only thing that impresses my students about my shoes is their size (16). I did have one student this year who had just about every new Air jordan release. He said his dad has a lot of sneakers. I was a volunteer coach for many NIKE Basketball camps and...
- Yes, the footwear designers had degrees in industrial design.
- I moved from Houston, Texas (flat, hot, and humid) to Portland, Oregon. I love Texas, but I really miss Portland. The Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Mount Hood, and the Oregon Coast were within driving distance. I...
- For those thinking of pursuing a career as a designer, all of the footwear designers I'm aware of studied industrial design. The notable exception to this is Tinker Hatfield who studied architecture.
- There really weren't any difficulties working for NIKE. It was frustrating putting in...
- My favorite basketball shoe produced while I was with NIKE was probably the Air Zoom Drive. It was sort of the sequel to the Jet Flight (which was originally named the Air Total Package). I liked this shoe because it had Zoom Air in the forefoot, a strap over the forefoot, and was relatively...
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You can drop them a line from time to time. If you're a reliable tester, it's already noted on your profile. It's more a matter of the type of athlete needed and the shoe size required.
- To get an internship, it's really who you know. As I mentioned earlier, I did two consecutive Basketball Sports Marketing internships. While talking with the other interns, we realized that none of us were random hires. We all had some sort of connections within the company. It helps if...
And we're back.
Thanks for the questions and responses. I'll answer what I can and anyone else is welcome to jump in. Rock is one of the few other people I'm aware of who is willing to share their experience with NIKE.
WallyHopp - I always enjoy your posts - I'm a cross-trainer freak, too. ...
devildoc76 - First, thanks so much for your service. My dad was in Army Intelligence. I don't have any experience with military product. I would urge you to start by sending customer service an email with all the information you shared here. They definitely record and track all feedback. ...
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I guess Kevin Garnett. He wanted an entire Original Block Family (OBF) sub-brand like Jordan, and he hadn't won anything yet. I was really sad when he left NIKE.
jbv1-
I do feel like I worked there during the "golden era", but that could just be nostalgia. I don't think any of us could predict how huge the retro market would become. Keep in mind that this was before the internet allowed shoe freaks to exchange information and conduct transactions...