Signature Touch: A Look Into the Nike Zoom Stefan Janoski SB | Hypebeast

Interview with Michael Leon

Michael, what was your role in the design of the Zoom Stefan Janoski?

I was the Design Director for the project. I worked with Stefan to create a distinct overview for the project. The general vibe and the individual elements like the curiosity cabinet. Then James worked with him on the shoe and we tied it all together. The goal was to translate Stefan’s vision into something even bigger than what he was imagining. We went back and forth with him a great deal.

It definitely seemed like a team effort

Exactly, that’s the great thing about Nike SB, the entire team works together on the product and marketing, so its all done at the same time. It was nice to start something with Stefan and finish it together as well. Even down to the event tonight, we all had the same vision and it came together well.

How long have you been a part of the team at Nike/Nike SB?

Ive been at Nike for four years, primarily working on a line entitled Tech-Pack, which eventually turned into NSW (Nike Sportswear). A little over a year ago I joined the SB team to work on “Nothing But the Truth”. Mainly the titles and packaging for the video. NSW and Tech-Pack took quite awhile to launch and there is a great design team there that eventually got it super dialed , so I decided to switch modes and go work with the skate division for awhile, to try and get something new going and to work with some of my longtime friends. Plus skateboarding is kinda “home” for me so it feels good.

Did you bring that technical mentality from NSW into the creation of this new sneaker for Stefan?

The technical outerwear aspect of a collection like NSW is something that doesn’t always translate for skaters. In a way they don’t value that kind of innovation the way that runners would, but when you give it to them the right way they do appreciate it. Their needs are more around durability, movement, lightweight, etc. so we try to bring innovation from a different angle. A skater is going to destroy their gear, you know, so it’s a different game. In the end it’s all Nike and it’s nice to have these different collections that service different people all in name of innovation.

What other projects do you have lined up for 2009?

As soon as I get back to Portland, we’ll begin working on an upcoming signature collection. I can’t say much, but it’ll be a long process much like the road we took with Stefan. That project took 15 months, so it’s definitely a long process. I started with Stefan in February 2008, so many stages it’s crazy!

Everyone seems to be excited to complete the Janoski line. How well do you feel the shoes turned out?

This one was really fun because of Stefan, his vibe and everything else. Also, the casual look of the shoes fit in with our whole crew pretty well. These are the ones I’ll be wearing. It’s a different vibe than our previous technical projects. Everyone is pretty siked.