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Introduction
Tinker Hatfiled, born on April 30, 1952, is one of the top designers at Nike, and the Jordan Brand as well. He is known for creating some of the world's most popular and revolutionary designs in shoes. There is no designer who can match the impact Tinker has had on modern day sneakers. -
Tinker Starts With Nike
Tinker was hired in 1981, by his Oregon track and field coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, as the architect for the company (Tinker-hatfield-esquire). He spent his days designing stores and offices, which he would eventually use as his inspirations for design (Butler). He would start a career which he would revolutionize the field of later by using inspirations from things unorthodox things such as cars and architecture (Canavan)(Elder). -
Air Max One
The Nike Air Max One, designed by Tinker, released and revolutionized the look of Nike shoes by incorperating a visible air unit in order to prove they were not afraid to show how the shoe was made (Tinker-hatfield-esquire). Tinker was inspired after a trip to France where he visited the Centre Georges Pompidou which shows all of the insides of the musem and hides nothing and thus the visible air unit was created (Canavan). -
Air Max One (Continued)
Tinker's design of the Air Max One is one of, if not the most iconic shoe ever produced by Nike. He also started the biggest style trend in shoes ever with the visible air unit, a design still used consistantly throughout the world of sneakers today. Even though it was one of his first designs, he had already cemented a reputation as an innovator. -
Nike Air Flight Huarache
After bing inspired by a water skiing trip, Tinker deesigned this new runner with a new bootie technology. The bootie would hug to your feet causing the shoe to fit better. Nike took a gamble and won big time, The technology that Tinker came up with for this design has been used in countless models and is still used in many designs today. Even one of Michael Jordan's models, the Jordan 7, icnluded it. Tinker continued to blaze new trails and create new, useful shoe technology. (Butler) -
Jordan 11
Starting with the third Jordan model, Tinker became the lead designer of the most iconic baskeball sneaker line ever. As each model became rapidly successful, Tinker kept reinventing the technology of the basketball shoe, and it was best seen in this model (Butler)(Complex: 25 Must-See). He created what is commonly refered to as one of the best basketball shoes ever, and it is even a personal favorite of the man himself (Tinker-hatfield-esquire). -
Jordan 11 (Continued)
His design utilized a carbon fiber shank plate that ran through the entire sole, as well as the iconic clear sole that people still love to this day seeing from the immediate sell outs that occur when this model rereleases, usually around Christmas time. -
Air Jordan XX9
In May Tinker and the rest of the Jordan Brand team announced the new Jordan XX9, the newest shoe in the iconic line. Tinker utilized some of the newest technology avaiable, showing he's not stuck in the past. The woven, one piece shoe is a new technology that might revolutionize how basketball shoes are made (Jordan). Because of this innovation, Tinker has proved again that he is still at the top of his game and he is continuing to change the way shoes are made.
