Skateboarding shoes and Basketball shoes share many similarities, such as strong grips, durable ankle support and relative comfort that attract the consumers. I wanted not to stir away from what a basketball shoe entailed in designing a skateboarding shoe. Inspiration for the Nike SB shoe I designed came from Paul Rodriquez Jr. He was signed by Nike SB in 2004 as they tried to stay in the skateboarding industry, to give more fame to the Nike SB name. It brought Nike success and in 2005 Nike gave him his own pro model shoe named the Nike SB P-Rod, giving the company recognition in the skateboarding world.
In 2002, Paul turned pro and signed with Girl Skateboard Company. He was named the Transworld Skateboarding Magazine’s Rookie of the Year that same year. For the next few years, he started placing high in competitions like the Slam City jam and the US Skateboarding Championships. In his first X Games in 2003, Paul took third place in the Street competition and eighth for Best Trick. The very next year he won the Street competition in the 2004 X Games. In researching Paul Rodriquez Jr. shoes, they are instilled with the qualities of a skateboarding shoe though they have the look of a comfortable everyday sneaker.
I decided that I wanted my shoe designed to continue with that look. Nike P-Rod Air Zoom shoes have full durable leather and mesh padding tongue that adds ventilation with a reinforced heel cup and cushioning. I approached the shoe with a wide fit and not as long as the P-Rod shoes come to be. I added a triple stitched toe cap and keeping them low tops for ankle movement. I was drawn to the P-Rod collection because it has a strong skateboarder profile yet a subtle look. The shoes are well-built and comfortable. For additional inspiration I refer the video released by Nike, “Today was a good day” starring Paul Rodriquez Jr. Ice Cube and Kobe Bryant. It’s a day in the life of a skater wearing his Nike SB. This is what skateboarding is about, enjoying the ride wherever it takes you. I believe Nike had the right interpretation with the release of the video for the promotion of the Nike shoes. My ideation process was to design a shoe that I could get consumers attracted to though keeping in mind, simplicity. I didn’t want to drift away from what the P-Rod collection offered. Though I did add a personal style touch, and kept the colors of the shoe subtle. In the concept stage I kept an underlining of the P-Rods for resemblance and then drew out my idea of my shoes.
With the final analysis of the shoe it remains to be simple and relaxed. I added green to high light the shoe and because it is Paul’s favorite color. Paul Rodriquez Jr. once stated, “Well, a large part of it is skateboarding skill. You gotta have that. You also have to have a personality or style that can be marketable if you want to have a long skating career. You see a lot of guys who dress funny and who can do all kinds of crazy tricks but they don’t get recognized. I don’t know, it’s kind of weird. ” Referring that Nike SB is a big part in how he represents himself as a pro skateboarder.
