STEVEN SMITH, THE ECLECTIC FATHER OF DAD SHOES

In an industry that usually connects every designer to a brand, Steven Smith is just as special as he is unique. Somebody who’s able to create the most advanced of designs for a brand and the most classic for another, using his creative skills to reach his objective; creating the best sneaker possible. From his ideas, sneakers that reach functionality from opposites sides and that continue to stay relevant after two decades are born.

The easy way out would be to connect Steven Smith’s designs to the current Dad shoe wave, which are sneakers with a classic design that has made a comeback in the last few seasons to become one of the trends of the moment. A large part of the New Balance models that started this wave has the Smith stamp, which has helped him become known as “The Godfather of Dad shoes”.

But fathers aren’t monolithic beings who only follow one single trend, you might end up finding out that a father with grey sneakers also does crazy things. That’s why Steven Smith’s designs are able to camouflage his ideas in the search of the common good; he was classic when New Balance asked him to be, revolutionary when Reebook needed to transform itself, impactful when FILA wanted to stand out, advanced for adidas’ wearable division and a trendsetter for Yeezy. And he’s still had time to develop the  Nike Zoom Spectrum Plus, the Air Max 2009, to create some Pump Fury in a US23 size, exclusive to Shaquille O’Neal, and some Nike Presto with Hiroshi Fujiwara to celebrate Hello Kitty’s anniversary.

His surprising and chameleonic ability to adapt to a changing environment is an expression that perfectly defines intelligence. We talk to Steven Smith about the inescapable Dad shoes, but also about a legacy that goes beyond a specific era and brand.

Do you remember what your first contact with shoes was like? How did you become a designer?

I was always a sneakerhead, ever since my first pair of Converse Running shoes. I ran high school track and had recently graduated from Massachusetts College of Art with a degree in product design. I was looking for a job and heard that New Balance was looking for one of its first full-time sneaker designers. I was hired on the next day. It was really cool since I wore New Balances to run in at that time.

You’ve designed some of the most classic sneakers, but also some of the wildest designs (Reebok Pump Fury, Shox Monster). Is the way of approaching one design to another different?

Each sneaker is a chance to explore new ideas and technology. Each time my goals were to not just make something new but to make something better than the last!

In recent seasons your name is associated with "the king of Dad shoes". What is your opinion on this Dad shoe trend and of being considered "the father"?

They call me “The Godfather of Dad shoes” from my work at New Balance back in the mid-1980s. It was a strange thing to call me that at first, then I saw the impact of the Dad shoes in lifestyle and fashion and it was actually really cool. The chunky designs can certainly coexist with modern tech and retro models.

You started designing at a time when everything you knew about a sneaker was what you saw when they reached the stores. Now when you see a shoe in a store you know everything about it. Does that affect the way you design?

It just becomes more of a challenge. It is a challenge that I gladly accept and that makes me strive to create the new and the better. The product should still be able to tell its own story of what it is for and how each part is needed to be on the sneaker.

Music is very important in your life, as you design your own guitars and your models are related to musicians like Steven Tyler, Björk, Sharleen Spiteri (Pump Fury), Cheap Trick or Kanye West. But there are no obvious references to music in your designs. How do you think music influences your work?

I listen to various styles and genres of music all the time. Each sneaker has usually been designed with music blaring in the background or on headphones. I have always been a punk rocker, so the louder and faster the music, the more it helps to drive what I design. I look at the design as a composition with its own tone and rhythm as the visual part takes shape.

There are bands that refuse to play their greatest hits over and over again. Others enjoy it, what is your reaction to seeing people walking with your most classic designs?

It has always been cool to me to see someone enjoy my designs. It is a true form of accessible art for people. It is also an art piece that you can use and enjoy. I sometimes want to go thank them for feeling strongly about my designs. It makes me proud to see them do well, it’s like each one is your mini child who has succeeded in life!

You have been involved in the design of shoes that have become real icons; NB 1500, Pump Fury, Nike Streak Spectrum Plus... Is there any design that you feel particularly proud of and that has gone unnoticed? Are there some sneakers we should pay attention to? 

I never set out to create them as icons, they just sort of became those as they took on a legacy and life of their own as classic designs. I guess the one that comes to mind is the Nike Maryjane baby shoe. It was designed with my newborn daughter as the inspiration. It is really simple and beautiful at the same time.

Some advice to fathers who wear Dad shoes?

Enjoy the comfort and try your best on hooking up your outfit! Take them out for a run!