If you’ve been living on Mars for the past 20 years, his name probably won’t ring a bell.
For everyone else, Steven Smith is considered the “Godfather of Dad Sneakers,” the one who designed the New Balance 550, New Balance 574, Nike Spiridon and still masterpieces like the Reebok Pump Fury – the Yeezy Boost 700, Yeezy 500 and the most recent Yeezy Foam Runner.
His extraordinary career began with New Balance, for which he designed the NB 997 and 1500, permanently changing the brand’s approach aimed exclusively at comfortable footwear, introducing the concept of “design.”
He left NB and began working for adidas; although his role lasted only one year, Smith produced one of the brand’s finest high-tops, the Adidas Artillery.
The following year he became Reebok’s new director of design and innovation. Here he changed the face of the brand forever, designing one of the most innovative shoes in the history of footwear: the Reebok Instapump Fury. Still one of the brand’s most successful sneakers today.
Here, Smith designs the sophisticated 2A cushioning system to support Hill’s style of play; the FILA Steven Smith x Grant Hill entered the list of the 100 best NBA sneakers of all time.
For Nike, Smith leads the design team for more than a decade. He designs some of the Beaverton-based brand’s most innovative models, including Nike Spiridon, the Shox Monster, Air Streak Spectrum Plus, and Nike Air Spiridon Cage 2.
This role will bring him back by a twist of fate to adidas, when Kanye West leaves Nike and-remembering who the favorite designer of his children’s shoes was-asks him to follow him to the brand with the three stripes.
There, since 2016, he works tirelessly alongside Kanye West on the adidas Yeezy line, designing the most futuristic and cutting-edge sneakers in the footwear industry.
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Smith’s career is now poised for a new challenge, momentarily setting aside sneakers to embrace industrial design: YE has appointed Steven Smith Head of DONDA Industrial Design, a branch of the DONDA brand.
His role will be aimed primarily at designing DONDA furniture and the futuristic Donda Foam Vehicle, the car envisioned by Kanye West long ago.
The appointment comes at a difficult time between adidas and Kanye West: following the launch of the adidas adilette 22, the rapper reportedly became frustrated with the similarity to his Yeezy Slide, calling the adilette a “fake Yeezy.” In response, the brand with the three stripes unveiled the adiFOM Q, which by name and design strongly resembles the Yeezy Foam Runner, sparking further controversy from YE.
The Smith nomination does not interfere in the matter; however, it must be said that DONDA is outlining its contours as an independent global brand, although it has always been an entity hoped for by adidas.
Could this be a prelude to a final split between adidas and Kanye West?
We shall see.
One thing is certain, Steven Smith and Kanye West will manage to surprise us again.
WORDS: Manuela Palma
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