Dialogue Week Styling | Despite not having a professional background, he has become the first Chinese designer for Nike and NB!

Dialogue Week Styling | Despite not having a professional background, he has become the first Chinese designer for Nike and NB!

If a non academic student successfully joins Nike after self-study and becomes the first Chinese designer at Nike headquarters, it sounds like an incredible internet story.

But Zhou's style turned it into reality.

Zhihuo is fortunate to have invited Zhou Styling, a former Nike headquarters designer and current senior designer at New Balance's US headquarters.

Let's talk about his first basketball shoe Two Wxy v5 designed at New Balance, and the story behind the shoe design.

The design inspiration for this shoe comes from a classic move by Jamal Murray last season, which we call the 'spin up' or 'spin cycle'. To reflect this action, the overall shape of the shoes has a strong sense of streamline, close to the ground and with a curved design, perfectly matching Murray's 360 degree rotation layup motion.

In terms of technology, this shoe combines Fresh Foam technology on the heel and Fuel Cell technology on the forefoot for the first time. Fresh Foam technology provides excellent cushioning to ensure comfort upon landing; Fuel Cell technology endows the forefoot with powerful explosive power and rebound force, meeting the needs of athletes at critical moments.

In addition, we have incorporated the sense of speed of running shoes into this design. Whether it's the lines of the shoes, the height and proportion of the collar, or the use of the overall mesh and the design of the heel, all reflect a sense of speed. The iconic logo of the shoes is composed of "XHU O", cleverly blending the elements of "X" and "O" to highlight the brand's characteristics.

In the application of Fuel Cell and Fresh Foam, we have optimized not only the heel but also the middle area of the forefoot to make it softer and provide a better sense of stepping. At the same time, the design of the side walls and outer frames creates a gap, enhancing the anti rollover performance.

I particularly like the mesh of this shoe. The entire shoe upper is made of special engineered mesh, which is different from traditional mesh in that it has excellent three-dimensional effect, providing a comfortable wearing experience and good cushioning performance. This is the first time we have used this mesh fabric in basketball shoes. Although it has been widely used in running shoes, it is still rare in basketball shoes.

Also, I really like the design of the heel and sole of this shoe. The sole adopts Fresh Foam technology and combines the design language of Fresh Foam hexagon, making the sole not only have a sense of technology, but also enhance the overall stability and cushioning effect. The hexagonal shape on the sole perfectly integrates with Fresh Foam technology, and wherever you see hexagons, they are all made with Fresh Foam's foam technology. It is both beautiful and practical, and also reflects the position of technology.

One difficulty I encountered during the design process was that this Two Way is a team shoe, not an athlete's signature shoe. Therefore, it needs to be suitable for a wide range of consumers to wear. The design challenge is to achieve bold and eye-catching effects while not being too bizarre in appearance. So the main thing is to establish the big story, and then let the lines, details, craftsmanship, and color schemes highlight and render its final presentation effect.

As running shoe designers at New Balance, our main focus is on functionality and comfort, so we tend to be relatively conservative in our styling and avoid being too exaggerated or bold. However, when designing basketball shoes, we need to have a deep understanding of the culture of the basketball shoe market, which includes bold, fun, technical, and refined elements.

The design of basketball shoes should not only innovate in appearance, but also meet various functional requirements. We have incorporated New Balance's consistent craftsmanship into our design, ensuring that every pair of shoes has excellent quality and performance. From appearance to functionality, every detail needs to be balanced and considered to meet the needs of basketball players and market expectations. We have changed the pattern on the sole several times to ensure wear resistance, slip resistance, and dust prevention.

We encountered many challenges during the research and development process. The first issue is the positioning of the mesh. This special mesh fabric requires heat treatment after weaving, which will cause some shrinkage, resulting in inaccurate positioning and affecting the accuracy of the logo. Next is the issue of cost. Due to the high unit price of mesh fabric and the use of three different densities of foam, the overall cost is relatively high. We originally planned to use embroidery technology to design the logo, and the effect was very good, but we had to give up due to cost reasons.

In addition, the hot TPU film is prone to color fading when used in white, and the color of the underlying mesh may seep up, causing discoloration. To solve this problem, we conducted about ten rounds of sampling and adjustment, constantly experimenting, and finally found a PU film that would not overflow.

Another issue is the IP law. The early design was integrated with all the EVA elements as a whole. But because they are somewhat similar to other competitors' shoes on the market, we need to avoid them extremely. So I made many changes again.

I believe that the design of basketball shoes by domestic brands has continuously improved in terms of technology and functionality, and has reached a level comparable to the international advanced level. However, in terms of design, domestic designs often appear too complicated, attempting to stack various functions on a pair of shoes to give them all. For example, we are often referred to as "engineered shoemaking", which includes elements such as supercritical foaming, exploration, VPU ultra-thin sole, TPU wrapping, nylon mesh, etc., resulting in high similarity in the appearance of shoes and making it difficult to distinguish brands.

In terms of design, the first step is to clarify the brand DNA so that people can recognize it as New Balance or Nike shoes at a glance, and even without a logo, they can perceive the uniqueness of the brand.

Secondly, the design needs to have a core story that supports the entire shoe design, rather than simply piling up technology. Even if the technology is advanced and the cost performance ratio is high, without a mature design story, this shoe is difficult to impress consumers, or to explain and promote, which is difficult to call a successful product.

Finally, innovation is key. Each shoe needs to have one or two very unique innovative points. It can be design language, functional structure, or process materials. For example, we can use Fresh Foam on the heel and Fuel Cell on the forefoot, combined with three different density materials to provide explosive power, cushioning, and anti rollover functions. And without excessive use of TPU, supercritical, carbon plates, etc. We have also introduced the latest mesh materials and made multiple attempts to composite and laser cut holes. Enhance overall comfort and package breathability.

We have been using AI technology for a long time, from the earliest Majors to later Vizcom, as well as some language processing software such as chatgPT and Copilot, and software related to AI and big data such as Runway, which we are all using. These tools help us better present the desired results.

Nowadays, from graphic design to simple 3D modeling, AI can provide great assistance, making it more convenient for us to report to product managers and development teams. We believe that in the future, more AI software will be applied to our work to help us realize every idea and quickly complete tasks such as production, editing, and organization.

However, the final product implementation still relies on our personal understanding, experience, and cognitive level of the product, as well as the cooperation of supply chain related supply chain technologies. Because the product is ultimately a craft of craftsmanship, it requires us to carefully polish it.

Professional passion: I am passionate about the profession I am engaged in. Since I was young, I have enjoyed innovation, design, and animation. As someone without any artistic background, I won an award for my high school uniform design. Then at the age of ten, I started playing basketball, joined the school team, and participated in competitions. These experiences sparked a deep interest in basketball and design for me. This passion has always inspired me to keep moving forward on my career path.

Continuous learning: In the vast field of design, learning is endless. The culture of American companies has provided me with many relaxed working environments and opportunities for growth. I have a lot to learn in design, including architecture, home decoration, and graphic design. This also includes the experience of colleagues, innovative materials, processes, perspectives, and constantly changing fashion trends. All of these keep me passionate and exploring this industry.

Communication and Opportunities: Luck and communication are also very important in career development. Through continuous communication, I have created some opportunities, won the trust of others, and thus gained more opportunities.

Perseverance and patience: The career path is full of ups and downs. For example, when I worked at Nike, I didn't initially work in sneaker design, but it wasn't until I left Nike that I finally entered this field. After years of hard work, I finally achieved basketball shoes, and recently transferred to the most professional innovation department. Sufficient patience and persistence are required in this process.

I believe that if you have a passion that lasts for ten or twenty years and are willing to constantly polish, strive, and explore for it, it holds great significance for your life. It can not only enrich your trivial or boring life, but also provide direction and motivation when you feel empty and confused. Having one or two hobbies that make you obsessed can prevent you from getting lost and making extreme decisions. This will make your life three-dimensional, full, and have your own opinions. This is very helpful.