Nike, Footwear design

University of Westminster

The University of Westminster Fashion&Business Club experienced a Masterclass in footwear design led by Nike.

The Nike team gave the Club members an insight into their careers and backgrounds as well as a rundown of the history and heritage of the Nike brand, saying that their core aim is to inspire people through sport. They then explained their culture of ‘insights’ and how market research is conducted and used to inform their design and how products are presented to consumers.

After this, Club members worked in groups of five creating new designs for ‘Nike Free’ trainers and thinking about what a trainer designed just for them would look like. They then presented their ideas to the rest of the group at the end of the session.

Nike’s team concluded with some words of wisdom including: ‘Don’t be afraid of the future. Things expand, you meet new people, be connected always try to learn and that takes you to new places. Keep following what you think is right and that will take you to new places.’ Michael Ford, Footwear Manager.

‘In life, progress isn’t always straight forward and, as we described through our own personal journeys, we didn’t start somewhere that reflects where we are now. The important thing is that you take the time to think about and nurture the things that you are interested in and they will take you where you want to be, it may not always be clear – but it will make sense in the end.’ Ciaran O’Neill, Marketing.