Image via Complex Original
A lot has been said about Tinker Hatfield. His work for Nike and the Air Jordan line has earned him a spot in footwear design history. That doesn't even take into account the countless other design projects at the brand that he's had a hand in.
Last night, Esquire TV's show 'How I Rock It', took a trip inside Nike World Headquarters to talk to one of the coolest sneaker designers on the planet. From a behind-the-scenes look at the Nike DNA warehouse, to seeing Tinker roll down the street in his old-school Volkswagon van, here are a few Things We Learned From Tinker Hatfield's Episode of 'How I Rock It'.
Tinker drives a white and turquoise VW van.
Keeping it old school, Tinker cruises down the highways of Portland, Ore. in a restored Volkswagon van from the '70s. How is this guy so cool?
Tinker likes to talk about "real life" with players he designs for.
Designing a shoe for an athlete is much more than just science. Tinker said that when designing for Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, he likes to talk to them about real life issues and that, in turn, helps him with the designs.
Tinker's key to success is not taking no for an answer.
Sometimes, stubbornness can be a good thing. When it comes to Tinker, it not only has helped him in his career, it has helped bring some of the most iconic sneakers to the world. Sometimes, you just have to do what you believe in, no matter what people say.
Bill Bowerman brought Tinker to Nike in 1981.
While most of us knew that Tinker played sports at Oregon, most folks don't know that Tinker's coach was Bill Bowerman. Not only was Bill one of the founders of Nike, he brought Tinker to the company in 1981.
Tinker keeps a UNC Air Jordan XX8 on his desk.
We expected Tinker to have a few samples in his workspace, but the only one we caught in this episode was the Air Jordan XX8 in the University of North Carolina colorway. And yes, it is the XX8 with the shroud, not the XX8 SE.
He coaches pole vault and reviews the tape on his iPad.
As if coaching pole vault wasn't enough to make you think that Tinker does a lot, he actually uses his iPad to help the kids review their previous jumps.
Tinker wants his legacy to be that he was an excellent mentor.
With the amount of praise sneakerheads heap upon Tinker, he probably already knows that he's a pretty awesome designer. However, for Tinker, he wants his legacy to be that he was an excellent coach and mentor, as well as a good designer.
Tinker can design whatever he wants.
Technically, Tinker's official title is "Vice President of Design and Special Projects" at Nike, but according to him, it just means that he can design whatever he wants.
Tinker is happiest when other people accomplish something special.
Considering he has designed sneakers for some of the greatest athletes in the world, it makes sense to hear Tinker say that he's happiest when others accomplish something special.
He credits a lot of his design approach to Bill Bowerman.
Bill once told Tinker, "No matter what anyone tells you, you have to think for yourself." He credits much of his success and forward thinking designs to Bill's mentorship.
Tinker designed the Air Jordan XI after Nike executives told him to stop designing Air Jordans
Even back in the mid-'90s, Tinker Hatfield was a rebel. Even though Michael Jordan had retired, Tinker felt his sneakers had already made a big enough impact on the world and that Nike should continue to make shoes for the greatest player ever. So he kept designing and the result was the Air Jordan XI.
The Air Max was one of the first shoes Tinker worked on at Nike.
For one of his first projects at Nike, Tinker wasn't afraid to show what the shoe was made out of. Through that design ethos, Tinker created a visible Air unit in the midsole of the Air Max 1.
Nike Keeps all their designs in the DNA warehouse.
All of the Nike artifacts, designs, and other "stuff" as Tinker put it, is housed in the Nike DNA warehouse.
The Air Jordan XI was Tinker's favorite to design.
As one of the most popular sneakers ever created, it's good to know that it's Tinker's favorite. Can you imagine if he would have said that he hated the shoe, or even worse, that he had his intern actually design the shoe because he was busy?
