Some of the latest products I designed for Reebok hit the market earlier this season, and I finally have a sneak peek from my latest photoshoot to share.
The collection includes a unique transformable backpack, an oversized tote, an update to the iconic Imagiro Bag, a lightweight cap, and a zero-waste packable bag that’s made from a wipe-clean material. The price point for this assortment was challenging, so the emphasis was placed on key features that provided value to the user without adding make/cost, stylish function, and versatility.
I’ll be adding a full project page to my portfolio, but in the meantime you can take a look at these products online.
I had the pleasure of taking part in the curation of this year's Why I Design exhibition with my fellow Emily Carr University graduate and good friend Patrick Christie.
Why I Design spotlights the process of invention and immersion. This year’s Why I Design pays particular attention to the emerging forces behind a Circular Economy, which include elements of wholeness, inclusion, knowledge, connection, and community in addition to reconciliation and decolonization as a regional factor. It was our goal to reach beyond traditional design practices to include people who are making design happen by bringing together people, systems, and materials that are striving to develop meaningful impact within their communities. The “Why” behind their actions and developments are the distinguishing features that separate a Circular Economy from an Industrial Economy, and this is an event where exhibitors have an opportunity to share that directly with their audience.
The critical functions of the circular economy are the human factors of relationships, connections, sharing, and personal health and growth. This year's event aims to gather a diverse group of people who represent elements of this new economy; a practice that embraces purpose-driven sustainability, material repurposing and reimagining how we do business. Assembling local contributors in the same room will foster key discussions about what the impacts of a circular economy can, or potentially should be.
If you’re in the city on November 2, I highly suggest you join us for an evening of conversation with local designers and experience the potential of a circular economy.
I had the honor of being interviewed by Kara Duffy from Powerful Ladies, a podcast where the awesome and the up-to-something – entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, chefs, writers, scientists, adventurers and beyond – come to share their stories. These inspiring individuals share the ups and downs of life, business, & entrepreneurship. Each episode is packed with tips, tools, inspiration, and advice on how to live your most powerful life.
I had a wonderful time speaking with Kara, and the episode of our conversation aired recently. We talked about chasing goals, why dreaming audaciously is highly recommended, and why the magic, movie moments in life can be of your creation.
Some more new product I worked on has hit stores. This latest collection features a convertible duffel bag and lightweight technical cap, designed to hook with the Training Supply collection from Reebok Apparel.
I’ll be putting together a full portfolio page soon, but in the meantime you can check out the products online.
My latest work for Reebok is now in stores: the Spring/Summer 2019 Women’s Foundation collection. Designed for the price-conscious, athletic female consumer, the challenge for this collection was to balance cost and features without compromising on style.
The previous Foundation Collection was due for an overhaul, and my expertise was needed to determine the right silhouette assortment within the global competitive landscape at this price point. I was also tasked with finding the right ingredient mix to create an aesthetic that reflected the fresh direction of Reebok apparel.
THE COLLECTION INCLUDES:
Ventilated backpack with padded shoulder straps
Lightweight, ventilated cylinder duffel
Oversized, ventilated classic duffel with 2 handle/strap options
Lightweight, ventilated crossbody tote with adjustable strap
Check out the full portfolio page here for a closer look at my process and inspiration.
Some of the latest products I designed for Reebok have just hit the market: a collection of bags and accessories from the Women’s Foundation collection.
This consumer is price conscious but doesn’t want to compromise on function or style. We used a lightweight crinkle poly fabric, combined with large mesh panels for ventilation and a bold graphic to create the right balance. The collection includes a cylinder bag, duffel, backpack and tote, along with a water bottle and baseball cap.
I’ll be adding a full project page to my portfolio, but in the meantime you can take a look at these products online.
For those of you who don't know, WGSN is the leading voice for trends, and is a go-to resource for brands and fashion houses around the world. Needless to say, it was an absolute thrill to find some of the work I have been a part of in a trend report recently issued.
The Future Festival Design Capsule report features a few images from the Cottweiler Collaboration I was a part of, and I'm so proud that I couldn't resist sharing:
To see more information, images and the inspiration behind the project, click here >
The project I worked on with Reebok x Cottweiler hit stores earlier this week! You can read more about it on:
“The SS18 collection fuses Reebok’s heritage in fitness with Cottweiler’s visionary take on contemporary menswear, as the range builds on the innovation and reiteration of fabrication and production techniques that includes UV protective layers, multi-functional, adaptable and packable silhouettes.”
— Renz Ofiaza - HIGH SNOBIETY
“The ultra-demanding Marathon Des Sables informed the collection, with participating athletes forced to endure a six-day trek through Morocco’s Sahara Desert. Aiming to blend comfortable sportswear with forward-looking clothes able to handle the punishing climate, Cottweiler sourced cutting-edge fabrics for the line — thus, certain items from the range are packable, weather-adaptable and UV resistant.”
The second collection for the collaboration I have been a part of with futuristic menswear label Cottweiler is now in stores. The project, which debuted in July at Fashion Week in London, includes a small collection of accessories including hydration and headwear pieces. Inspired by Marathon Des Sables, a desert marathon regarded as being the toughest footrace in the world, the collection provides apparel, footwear and accessories aimed to address the harsh conditions of the Sahara
For my part, I worked on:
a lightweight cap with a protective, detachable neck cover
a hydration waist belt
and a lightweight hydration vest/backpack hybrid
The Sahara Vest Backpack is particularly interesting, as it is based off the Spartan Hybrid backpack/vest I designed for Reebok in 2016. Designed with extreme racing conditions in mind, it served as a good base to work from. Where the Spartan Hybrid was designed to be indestructible, the Sahara Vest Backpack needed to be lightweight and have UPF protection. We updated the Cordura fabric to a lightweight nylon and altered pockets and details where appropriate, while still maintaining the close-fitting, ergonomic and unique properties of the Spartan Hybrid.
The Sahara Cap includes a removable neck flap and mouth guard to protect from sun and sand, and is fabricated in lightweight UPF fabric.
Designing a super technical product is often much easier than the task of communicating all the technicality within the product. Some features or concepts can only be truly appreciated with sound or when shown on the body in context. We have shorter attention spans than ever; there is only so much text, only so many photographs someone will be willing to scroll through. Important information is bound to be missed.
On that note, I would like to share with you a video I made for the Spartan Hybrid backpack/vest that I designed for Reebok last year.
There was so much research and thought that went into this project - and so many details that were specific for the exact scenario for which it was to be used - that I just wasn't content with images and text alone to tell the story. My hope is that this medium helps bring a richness to the product that I haven't been able to fully communicate until now.
Please enjoy my first real foray into videography, and let me know what you think!
To see more about the research and process that went into creating this product, please visit my portfolio page.
I have been working hard over the past few months to update my site with some of my recent work, and I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few of the highlights.
My self-initiated project to design and make one bag per month is still in full swing. It takes some time to photograph and document everything, so there are bags I haven't had the chance to share yet. That said, I'm really excited about the latest uploads:
Check out my project page to find out more about each bag and see the process behind how each was created.
As a personal design challenge, I created a conceptual set of bags for Y-3, focusing on a Spring/Summer season. I examined the brand's heritage and ethos and created a small collection from a very exploratory, hands-on approach.
My goal was to showcase my hands-on way of working, where physical prototyping happens concurrently with sketching, each informing the other. A folded piece of paper inspires a sketch, a sketch inspires a sewn test, and a sewn test leads to a final mockup, which is then scrutinized and improved. This is my favorite way of working, and I find it produces the most creative results.
The result is a collection of three bags that explore different sizes, shapes and purposes in the context of the Spring/Summer season: an iconic backpack whose details and patterning influenced the overall collection, an expandable duffel bag, and a transformable utility vest/bag hybrid.
Please visit the project page for a look at the complete journey.
Streetwear blog Highsnobiety has posted a sneak peek of the Reebok x Cottweiler Collaboration I was a part of earlier this year. The collection has just landed in stores, and includes a number of accessories I worked on. Find the full article here.
This past weekend, the latest collaboration I was a part of debuted at London Fashion week. We teamed up for a second season with menswear label Cottweiler, this time to create a collection inspired by Marathon Des Sables, a desert marathon regarded as being the toughest footrace in the world.
The entire collection included apparel, footwear and accessories designed with this extreme environment in mind.
For my part, I worked on:
a lightweight cap with a protective, detachable neck cover
a hydration waist belt
and a lightweight hydration vest/backpack hybrid
If the Hydration Vest looks a little familiar, it's because it was based on the hydration solution for runners I designed for Reebok previously, the Spartan Hybrid. We were able to build upon the particular research, knowledge, and solutions created for the extreme obstacle course race environment and adapt fabrics and details to suit the demanding atmosphere of Des Sables.
The runway show included both the Reebok collaboration and the Cottweiler SS18 collection, both of which were met with great reviews.
“Arguably the focal point of the show, though, was the latest in Cottweiler’s ongoing collaboration with Reebok, which first debuted at Pitti Uomo earlier this year. This joint effort took inspiration from sports after care, and so tied in with Reebok’s ideals of combining the mental, social and physical. ”
— Hypebeast.com
More to come soon! In the meantime, check out Hypebeast and Highsnobiety for more photos and a behind-the-scenes look at the products.
