DESIGN
DESIGN IS WHERE EVERYTHING BEGINS AND WHERE MOST THINGS END.
WE WORK SLOWLY. ONE SNEAKER A YEAR, RELEASED WHEN IT IS READY. EACH SILHOUETTE BEGINS WITH A QUESTION AND IS RESOLVED ONLY WHEN NOTHING CAN BE ADDED AND NOTHING SHOULD BE REMOVED. SOME IDEAS SURVIVE TEN ROUNDS OF REVISION. OTHERS DO NOT SURVIVE THE FIRST.
THE REFERENCES ARE DEEP. MOORE. RAMS. POLLOCK. THE FRACTURED GEOMETRY OF CORNISH SLATE. THE SILENCE INSIDE A ROTHKO. THESE ARE NOT MOOD BOARDS. THEY ARE THE CONDITIONS FROM WHICH THE WORK EMERGES.
THE MIDAS. EACH NAME IS A BRIEF. A WEIGHT CARRIED BEFORE A SINGLE STITCH IS MADE. THE SNEAKER MUST EARN IT.
WE DO NOT FOLLOW.
EVERY 1812 DESIGN IS RESOLVED IN THE PROTOTYPE. IN THE TRADITION OF THE CORDWAINER, THE WORK BEGINS ON A LAST SHAPED TO THE COMPOUND CURVES OF THE FOOT.
EACH PROTOTYPE IS A WORKING PIECE, TESTED FOR STRUCTURE, COMFORT AND PROPORTION.
THE PROCESS FOLLOWS A MEASURED RHYTHM, GUIDED BY AN EXTENDED DESIGN BRIEF THAT EVOLVES THROUGH STAGES: REFINING STRUCTURE, SELECTING MATERIALS, AND EXPLORING VISUAL LANGUAGE. THIS CYCLE REPEATS, OFTEN MANY TIMES, UNTIL A DESIGN REACHES THE STANDARD REQUIRED FOR PRODUCTION.
STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY. WEIGHT AND LIGHTNESS. EVERY DESIGN HOLDS THEM IN BALANCE.
PERFECTION HERE IS NOT ABSOLUTE. THE NATURAL IMPERFECTION OF REAL LEATHER IS KEPT. WHAT IS SOUGHT IS THE EXACT RESOLUTION OF FORM AND FUNCTION.
FROM THE JOURNAL
