Mar 17, 20212 min read

Tinker Hatfield- artist research

Tinker Hatfield is an American designer, responsible for a number of Nike’s and Jordan’s most significant models. He now oversees the innovation kitchen at Nike which is responsible for finding new innovative technologies and material. Some of his most famous models include the Nike Air Max 1, the Huarache, Air Max 90 and the all the Jordans from 3-15 and a couple after that. In short, he’s pretty much defined Nike’s aesthetic and has created the most iconic sneakers, shoes that have been coveted forever and now more than ever. As for common materials Tinker was always looking for innovative materials, materials that would be lighter, especially for the Jordan line, with performance being at the for front. Saying that the usual materials, leather, mesh, nubuck, and suede were usually present. Tinker always says that his designs are a culmination of everything that has happens to him, his experiences, the things he sees, like the discussions he has, a whole array of things. He picks them and combines them to make great designs that always have a vivid story behind it. Working with Nike I imagine that environmental considerations are always there, for example the Jordan 23 was shaped on Nike’s environmentally friendly approach, and I would guess a lot of consideration is made for all the other models. The popularity of his designs is no secret, I think I can say comfortably say that most sneaker lovers such as I found their first love, and favourite shoe within one of his designs. I think compared to other shoe designers like Peter Moore (designer of Jordan 1) Tinker’s shoes have more details, a lot more components, materials and layering, which I prefer. You can also compare his designs to Leo Chang’s (Nike basketball overseer) which look a lot more futuristic, which I believe is mainly due to the newer technology and it solely being performance focused. I chose Tinker because I’m a fan of his shoes, in my top 5 favourite shoes of all time 3 of them are from him. What I took most from my research on him was this story telling aspect, having a personal story behind the design just makes it that much richer, and using your everyday life interaction/ experiences as a point of inspiration means there’s an endless number of possibilities. I just really like how he creates his design and want to try it too.

Air Max 1- 1987