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I challenged myself not to sketch as much on this project because the foundation was already set. How might we be able to redefine what such a renown product means for a completely new generation?

I set aside all known parameters of the AF1 and decided to start by making with my hands instead of my normative route of sketching until I found a solution I was comfortable with.

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That initial process led me to ‘experimenting’ in Nike’s Innovation Kitchen by using the vacuum form machine which led to an end result that was anything but comfortable.

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Growing up in the ‘90s, I remember walking into the local mom-and-pop owned sneaker store and marveling at all the plastic wrapped Air Jordan and Nikes on the wall.

I immediately understood why they made the decision to wrap their product this way as these weren’t just simple shoes but actual relics that elicited more attention and admiration than the leather, suede and stitching that held them together suggested.

These shrink-wrapped phenomenon was my entry point into the design of the Air Force 1 Experimental.

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When receiving the brief for this project the word that I latched onto throughout the creative process was in the title itself : ‘Experimental’.

Alongside the ultra-talented material designer, Maddy Hogan, we set out to create something that hadn’t been done in footwear let alone on a product as classic and ubitquitous to Nike’s history as the Air Force 1.

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AF1 Experimental

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AF1 Experimental

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