Pen & Paper: Salehe Bembury of GREATS

As a member of the innovation team that brought one of Cole Haan’s most successful collections to date – the LunarGrand – Salehe Bembury’s expertise in the field of footwear design cannot be understated. Having honed his skills while working at brands like ONLY NY, United Nude, Damon Dash and Birkenstock, in addition to starting his own streetwear label Duane NYC, Bembury was recently appointed Director of Footwear for Brooklyn-born label GREATS. Bembury’s diverse portfolio is reflected by his exquisite taste that blends traditional and modern styling in a slew of street-ready renditions. “I think a lot of people see tradition as something that can’t change. However, I see it as the foundation for innovation” said Bembury in our previous conversation with him. For his contribution to our Pen & Paper series, he presented sketches of some of his proudest projects including the Cole Haan LunarGrand and GREATS‘ “The Wilson.” Enjoy Bembury’s Pen & Paper here and head to his webpage for more on the New York designer.