The reason I wanted to go to Portland was to visit the headquarters of NIKE , the world's largest shoe brand.
NIKE is a world-leading Oregon brand with its headquarters in the suburbs of Portland. The company 's headquarters, known as "Nike World Headquarters," is located in Beaverton, where more than 10,000 people work.
Because I had contacted them in advance, the lady at the reception desk told me I was free to look around the company, and I was given a tour of the Nike Museum inside the headquarters, half guided and half left to my own devices.
I noticed a nice wagon loaded with orange boxes in the museum. Apparently, when the company was founded, they used this car to sell their products, and this was reproduced here. There were also other items such as apparel and shoes from the local University of Michigan, which the company supported at the time, and archives created in the past. From the entrance, there were exhibits that gave a sense of Nike 's history and the latest designs and technology.
After touring NIKE, I was reminded once again how fascinating shoes really are.
Shoes are a fashion item, but they also need to be functional.
Track and field shoes have track and field functions, and basketball shoes have basketball-specific functions. It's really interesting to see how the design is born from the structure.
For example, NIKE 's "AIR" . By visualizing the cushioning function and showing what's inside, it became an easy-to-understand item that became a hit, so I think it captures the essence of product design well. Function is born from role, function becomes design, and then it is sublimated into fashion, so that's the appeal of creating things that start from functionality.
Visiting Portland gave me a push in the right direction and reminded me of the roots of what I want to do.
As of 2018, it has been over ten years since I started making shoes, and my job as a shoe designer had become a normal part of my life. This journey made me realize once again that there is more I can do, and at the same time, it made me feel grateful to be doing the job I have dreamed of since I was 10 years old.
Throughout this time, another thought also began to well up in my mind.
I could have become a shoe designer, which is what I had always dreamed of. However, I wanted to create items in various categories other than shoes. And I wanted to create a product that would support people who take on challenges. Little by little, I feel like the seeds of the AS A BIRD project, which will start in 2020, are beginning to take shape.
Next week, in Chapter 4, we will look back on my visit to San Francisco, the city that inspired me to become a shoe designer.