Inspiration Board:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2pm47g5b5pgwlg/IMG_0040.PNG

Concept Sketch:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4uwi8ggwz8ryefe/Wheeler%20Sneaker%20Concept%20Sketch%20Sept.%2023%202012.pdf

Hello, I'm Jeremy from Portland, Oregon. I'm here to learn about sneaker design and development, and to have some fun.

So let me dive into my inspiration board and my preliminary conceptual sketch (links provided).

I used a combination of one of my favorite cars and a pair of classic Nike basketball shoes as my inspiration. The car is a mid-eighties vintage, and the shoes are early nineties. However, I am going for more of a current look in my overall design. When I think of sneakers I personally think of basketball shoes first and foremost so that's what I aimed to design. Lately I've been pretty inspired by Kobe's, 5, 6, and 7 in particular so you may see some inspiration from the Kobe line as well even though they don't make an appearance on my inspiration board.

The car is a Buick Grand National, a mid to late eighties muscle car. At the time it released it was the fastest (perhaps most powerful?) production car ever made with a turbo charged 200 hp engine with 300 ft-lbs or torque. The body and chassis are a Buick Regal so it doesn't have much of a sports car or an exotic look. It's somewhat of a 'sleeper' performance car. It also does not have much of an aerodynamic look for a performance car. As you can see it's very angular, a lot of straight lines, boxy. I like the look and drew upon this for the inspiration.

The car, and ultimately the shoe, are about performance and power first and foremost. Nothing flashy. With that said I still like the look and find it appealing. The colors, lines, and silhouette are what I drew upon most.

As for the shoes, the Nike Air Raid. Nike's early nineties blacktop basketball shoe. A very iconic look and a very unique look for it's time. It has an industrial look. I drew upon shapes in the shoe, including the midsole, and I will also draw inspiration from the colors, and textures in the shoe as I progress the conceptual sketches.

Please give feedback, thoughts, and comments! They are all greatly appreciated. Criticisms also welcome. Bring it…and enjoy.