Trek v2
Trek v1 was functional, but lacking in comfort. Nate Iott (design lead for performance footwear) thought we could explore ways to make it more comfortable.
Initial mechanical cushioning inspired sandal
Quick visualization of sandal
Early prototype of repeat swatch to send to factory
Back and forth between me and Nate
Section view
Sample Plaques for Testing
Sample Plaques for Testing
Sample Plaques for Testing
Initial plaque testing was promising. Nate began to work on sketching out what the design could look like including an idea that he and I were kicking around to add some mechanical foam replacement similar to a kitchen sponge.
Concept drawing: Nate Iott
After a round of feedback, there was some concern that the mechanical cushioning element would be comfortable enough on its own so we added in a footbed/midsole to increase the comfort. Another ask was to engineer a way to make the design transition between a slip-on and a more standard heel construction. The images below show how Gravity Sketch was used to quickly iterate the design and ultimately showcase how the franchise could evolve with an eye towards comfort and improving on some of the shortcomings of the V1.
