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Top View Colour Up
Side View Of Right Sneaker Re-Design
Top View Colour Up
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Brief 1:
To create a colour up for the Puma Ralph Sampson Low which is inspired by the story and identity of G-Eazy.
Consumer
Name: Geral Earl Gillium - “G-Eazy”
Born: 24th May 1989 (Gemini)
Ethnicity: White
Age: 30
From: Oakland, California
Lives: Los Angeles, California
Known for: Rap/ Hip-Hop Musician
Signed with: Puma
Sticking to authentic retro's mixed with a little
hype.
G-Eazy often raps about his past, present and
future and often has a strong theme of
authenticity which includes talking about his
duality as a person, performer and the nature
of the lifestyle he leads as a famous rapper.
Colour up inspiration and story
The colour up for the Puma Ralph Sampson Low is inspired by the of identity G-Eazy, from his personal aesthetic to details about him as a person. There are a number of key elements:
- Duality of self (black and white - like ying and yang)
- His star sign is Gemini which has the element mercury and the story of two people in one body
- Inspiration from his birth place of Oakland and where he lives in Los Angeles.
- Trims and decorative details inspired by his personal aesthetic.
The most important element I wanted to explore was the duality that G-Eazy often speaks and raps about. The duality of self, as G-Eazy is the name of the alter ego that the artist has created. Exploring this view of duality, I wanted to create a colour story that helped show the transition between Gerald and G-Eazy, like ying and yang, both are needed to create a whole person. The theme of duality is an important perspective for the artist himself, not just in reflection of himself but in the life he leads as an artist and how he can handle the expectations and stay true to his authentic self.
Colour up right foot
Colour up left foot
Colour changing leather fabric on upper:
The upper of the sneaker is a tumbled leather painted with a top coat of secondary colour so that as the user wears the sneaker in the shoe will change colour. Ultimately then both feet will end up the opposite of each other.
During the process of the sneaker changing colour it will act like a leather jacket, with unique colour changes and creasing until the sneaker has entirely been worn into the secondary colour.
On the front tongue of both sneakers is a woven label with the lock up logo for Puma X G-Eazy. The Puma logo has been edited to show that these sneakers will work with the Puma app through a NFC chip in the woven label to unlock exclusives as well as interact with G-Eazys website for upcoming tour dates and first chance to buy exclusives from G-Eazy and Puma.
Colour change (right foot)
Colour change (left foot)
Medial / heel view of re-design
Lateral / Heel view of new sneaker
Medial / heel view of re-design
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G-Eazy Silhouette
Brief 2:
Create a new silhouette for rapper G-Eazy to wear while performing that follows the theme of duality and identity. This will be his signature silhouette.
Inspiration
Duality
Built for life on and off stage
Retro Puma Models
Retro meets modern
G-Eazy himself
Fashion aesthetic and his journey
New & Better
Innovation:
"Designed for the athletes of artistry" is a statement based on the inspiration for the sneaker. Puma creates footwear for sports and make many innovations within them. I wanted to create and design a marketing story behind this new silhouette that the sneakers are designed for the musicians whose lifestyle and careers are often compared to athletes as being similar in how they can be physically demanding and mentally/emotionally draining. Each sneaker in this marketing story for various artists would take both aesthetic and functional inspiration from the artists personal image choices as well as performance styles and needs., allowing each artist to have the perfect pair of sneakers to perform in.
The G-Eazy Puma Silhouette is inspired in aesthetics from retro puma models such as the Ralph Sampson low and the Puma 917 Mid. It also has references to G-Eazy facts and aesthetics such as using the number 89 which is from the G-Eazy's birthdate. The key shapes in the upper and outsole are inspired by state outlines of the states Oakland, Los Angeles and New Orleans all important places in G-Eazy's journey. The functional aspects of the sneaker are inspired by the needs of the musician and innovative ways that Puma footwear can assist in these needs.
Lace locking development
The new silhouette will have a lace lock system on the top two eyelets of the sneaker, it is inspired by the aesthetic that G-Eazy likes to wear his sneakers with loose laces, but this can make them prone to move/fall off when performing. The lace lock system will prevent that while allowing the artist to maintain their aesthetic.
Customisable outsole / Built in ankle support
The outsole is designed to be be detached from the midsole and G-Eazy can write on the bottom of the midsole. The entire outsole is transparent so the messages can be read. The inspiration for this element was based off of G-Eazy's enjoyment in crowd surfing/jumping etc at shows. I wanted to create a sneaker that has a duel function of not just protecting G-Eazy's feet while performing but to allow him to have a second voice outside of his songs and create interest in the sneaker that is unique to the artist.
Magnetic strips and screws allow the outsole to be detached from the midsole and then re-attached. This means the sneaker can be continuously worn and the outsole replaced to ensure the sneaker can be worn all through tours. One of G-eazy's favourite pair of sneakers are his Jordon 1 Bred's, which he wore all while touring and have unique creasing and aging on the upper which holds strong significance to G-Eazy but now have very used outsoles.
Sneaker design has a built in ankle support system, to allow G-Eazy to perform on stage and move and jump around on stage and not damage his ankle joints or be prone to a break. A draw cord at the top of the heel allows the fit to be adjusted so that the sneaker will stay around G-Eazy's foot without the need for lacing. The ankle support is made of microfibre with bacteria killing properties and breathable mesh which also allows the ankle to move so that the support does not impact on comfort or movement.
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