@stevensmith
Steven Smith is a highly known and respected Executive Design Director. He doesn’t just draw shoes, he has a history of working in the sporting goods and electronics industry. As a business man, he prides himself on the skills of trend analysis, design management, art direction, sketching, and fashion design. He also has a certification in welding and 3D sculpture from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He has made iconic shoes for YEEZY, Adidas, Lead, Nike, Fila, Reebok, and New Balance.
Here are 6 interesting facts you may not have known about him:
Steven Designed the Reebok Pump
Steve Smith designed the iconic Reebok Pump, a shoe that was a radical innovation to the shoe industry. It was inspired by products and materials in the medical, aerospace, and mountain bike industries. Smith was quoted as saying he wanted it to look like “someone’s foot was on fire”.
He Loves to See Celebrities Wear His Work
When you design cool things, cool people tend to be attracted to them. Smith’s designs have been sold millions of times over but it brings him special joy to see celebrities wearing his designs. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is a huge fan. Smith had a chance to meet Tyler and told him “Dude, I made those shoes! It is so cool that you went out and actually bought them.” By that he meant that Tyler wasn’t given the shoes for promotion, but actually wore them because he liked them. Steven Tyler said that the Fury’s were the “best shoes ever”.
An Engineer and an Artist
Steven does more than just draw his ideas. He is constantly thinking of how to bring his ideas to life:
“I have this strange brain that’s a hybridization of an engineer and an artist. The two don’t really normally get along; it’s logic versus art. So I have a weird brain that thinks it through as I’m drawing. Like, How can I really make this? What can this be made of?”
Supreme Collaborated on His Design
Supreme collaborated with Nike in 2018 to retool Steve’s Nike Air Stream Spectrum Plus from a performance running shoe into a lifestyle shoe.
He Worked for New Balance
Steven Smith started working for New Balance right out of college in 1986. It is fair to say that without Steve, New Balance either wouldn’t have succeeded or at bare minimum would have looked completely different. Steve was responsible for many well known New Balance classic designs such as the 574, 996, 997, 1500, and many more.
He Now Works With Kanye West and YEEZY
When Kanye wanted to make great music, he worked with other great and well known artists to increase his quality and reach. When he wanted to design shoes, he also put together a strong team and one of those key figures was Steven Smith.
The Yeezy brand has been much different than other shoe companies for Steve. There are often paparazzi outside the office, more online critics, and more leaked information than he is used to. “I don’t know where the leaks come out from. I’m baffled at how did they find that” Steven once said.
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