Great read. I clipped a few parts. It's great. Really looking forward to seeing the shoe.
https://boardroom.tv/aja-wilson-nike-signature-sneaker
"The Design Process
When the next set of meetings took place in 2023 at Nike’s massive new office in Los Angeles and on the Nike campus in Oregon later that fall, it was time to establish the big picture ideas for what Wilson wanted her shoe to represent, and what she wanted the shoe to look like.
“The design process with Nike was really gratifying, and I didn’t realize how much goes into designing a shoe,” says Wilson. “My biggest asks were that the shoe was light and comfortable for all the hours I spend on the court, and that it also looks really good.”
The Swoosh logo should be placed on the sleek silhouette in a unique way, the thinking went, to make sure the A’ONE is recognizable on a store wall, on a street, or on TV when rapidly rising audiences are tuning in to Aces games to watch Wilson.
“The experience working with A’ja on her collection reflects who she is on the court and in the locker room,” said Ben Nethongkome, Wilson’s lead footwear designer at the Swoosh. “She’s a natural leader.”"
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"In the footwear industry, the calendar for signature shoes is a drawn out one. Designers have often joked that one of the most important skills needed for this industry is patience.
The start-to-finish timeline is often 18-24 months, allowing for a series of 2-3 month check-point windows that includes everything such as design, revisions, performance testing, colorway creation, marketing plans, retail buying, campaign photoshoots, factory production and shipping from overseas — all leading up to an eventual launch date.
With the Spring 2023 starting point in Miami kicking things in motion, the team identified the Spring / Summer 2025 season early on for the eventual A’ONE release.
“A’ja did not want to rush it,” said English. “She wanted to get it right.”