In June of 1981 a University of Oregon runner and architecture graduate joined Team Nike. This in and of itself was not special. After all, the young architect was hired as an architect. How many people outside of Nike would ever see his work? As it turns out, an awful lot.

That architect's name was Tinker Hatfield, and once he switched over to sneaker design in 1985, nothing would be the same. Not only did he change the aesthetic of sneaker design, he changed the very process. And the results speak for themselves — the Air Max 1, the Trainer 1 (and, in fact, cross-training period), Huarache. And that's not even getting into the work he did with Jordan, starting with the Air Jordan III, where he turned signature shoe design into a collaborative process with the athlete. Here we take a look at Tinker’s greatest creations, from the first game-changers to recent goodies he cooked up in the Innovation Kitchen and some kicks that we will be rocking well into our nursing home days.

Tags: tinker-hatfield, nike, air-jordan, jordan, nike-huarache, p-rod, air-max

12 Comments | Add a comment

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    BRAC MASTER July 19th, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    BRO Sick ARTICLE. I once got laid cuz of my Jordan III's bro.

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      karriem July 19th, 2011 at 12:02 PM

      shut up nigga, probably the only js u have

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        BRAC MASTER July 19th, 2011 at 01:22 PM

        aww you just mad cuz you didnt get any pussy BITCH!

        • [icon]

          Pastigz July 19th, 2011 at 03:49 PM

          u both get no pussy

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        kix.galore July 19th, 2011 at 02:28 PM

        haitin ass nigga

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          kix.galore July 19th, 2011 at 02:29 PM

          @karriem

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    Alex Riley July 19th, 2011 at 02:00 PM

    Those XXs are fake

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    vern July 19th, 2011 at 02:18 PM

    rubbish article!! no safari 87? THE ONLY SNEAKER 20 YEARS TOO EARLY, THE MOST USED PRINT AFTER THE ELEPHANT!!!!

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    matty1ce July 19th, 2011 at 02:37 PM

    One thing to mention about the Jordan X - MJ actually didn't like the initial design of the Jordan X because of its toe piece. MJ wasn't a fan of the toe piece and preferred a clean-looking toe box. This also adds on to your point about Tinker wanting to redeem himself with the Jordan XI. Honorable mention - Jordan XX: Tinker returned to design the Jordan XX. It was an iconic and ground-breaking shoe in terms of technology and design, as it was the first shoe to feature laser-etching and an IPS midsole (independent pod system). The low cut shoe with ankle strap was also a very unique design.

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      ace July 19th, 2011 at 06:59 PM

      who cares or asked? loser..

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    Jeffy July 20th, 2011 at 08:21 AM

    Well, you never know a designer untill you see his or her works.

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    Jeffy July 20th, 2011 at 08:26 AM

    Is there anything wrong?

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