There’s a lot to love about footwear development.
Perspectives
From Olympic-ready running shoes to children’s play clogs, footwear design takes us in all sorts of directions. And that’s exactly what we love about it.
Think about the shoes in your wardrobe. There‘s probably a pair for working out, another for work, something for bad weather, and a few you bought just because you liked how they looked. Shoes have become an important part of how we express ourselves, and most of us own more pairs for different purposes than previous generations ever did.
People also know a surprising amount about what they’re wearing. Materials, manufacturing methods, cushioning technologies, and performance features are no longer topics reserved for professional athletes and footwear designers.
It’s an interesting development – but one that’s old news. We wear shoes in more crossover contexts than ever; running shoes worn in an office, trail shoes to get coffee in the city. So, does this mean we can skip developing performance for modern shoes? We say no. Shoes need to do their primary function plus even more.
Performance is a part of the appeal of lifestyle footwear, even when extreme technical capabilities aren’t strictly necessary. And while a recognisable component might help sell a shoe, there’s still the small matter of making sure it does its job. Someone walking the dog in the rain might never tackle a steep exposed hike, but they’ll certainly appreciate good grip and a comfortable fit. The demands are different, but the thinking behind the design is just as important.
We find these similarities fascinating. At KISKA, footwear grew from one area of our work into a major part of what we do. From one-off kids design projects to strategic collection planning for high-performance sports shoes, we serve footwear development from concept to post-release support. Advertising, prototyping, user research…all in one place.
We spend a lot of time getting to know the brands we work with and the people who wear their products. From TEVEO to superfit, or Giesswein to Asics, our job is to understand what matters to your users and adapt it for your brand. Our international team helps with that, too. There’s usually someone in the studio with first-hand experience of the particular sport or market we’re exploring – and they’re rarely shy about sharing what they know.
The briefs themselves can be wonderfully varied. A client might come to us with a specific design problem, while another is entering footwear for the first time. We’ve even had clients come to us with the ambition of winning an ISPO Award. Fair enough. We like a challenge.
And that’s probably the best explanation for why footwear has become such a big part of our work. There’s always another application to explore or an idea worth testing. One day we’re thinking about the demands of competitive sport. The next, we’re considering what makes a pair of work boots safe and comfortable to wear.
We love a challenge. So, bring us your ambitious ideas, your unusual briefs, and the problems nobody’s cracked yet. Those are our favourites.
Check out more of our work.
Sharp thinking. Bold execution. KISKA generates brand experiences with business value. From strategic consulting to hands-on execution of your vision. See the results for yourself.
Get in touch.
Let’s work together.
Boost your business with brand and design.
You talk. We listen.
Contact one of our offices worldwide.