tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141360122008-07-03T14:35:50.976-04:00rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-65512422513835602312007-12-11T19:02:00.000-05:002007-12-11T19:37:31.719-05:00

Welcome to the new First Pullover footwear design blog and resource. First Pullover is dedicated to being the premiere resource for shoe design and development, offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process from sketch to sample, production and marketing. Here at First Pullover, we are now in the process of redesigning the site to offer greater usability as a reference resource.

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-48872276190884966302007-12-11T18:00:00.001-05:002007-12-11T19:45:27.663-05:00

A last is a generalized anatomical representation of the human foot shape. Created from a data set and functional requirements specific to a sport, a desired look, or an athlete, a master last is created from which production copies can be made. Production lasts are made from either turned (lathed) plastic, or sandcast aluminum. The Last is First. Click the Read More link below for a review of

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-33601028822929020442007-12-11T18:00:00.000-05:002007-12-11T19:29:14.816-05:00

This series covers the full scope of production processes. While the manufacturing production process might vary depending on the design of the shoe (ie. if it is a football boot or running shoe), and the specifics of each step in the process may be done in a slightly different way from factory to factory, the general process and steps involved is the same. Click the Read More link below to

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-72186341522338556022007-12-11T17:45:00.001-05:002007-12-11T19:13:17.158-05:00

While in China I had the opportunity to check out a leather tannery that produces cow and kangaroo finished products for many top brands' performance and lifestyle footwear. This particulary tannery doesnt process the raw hides, but rather recieves them in "wet blue" form from local manufacturers or imports skins from Australia/New Zealand (kangaroo leather) or Europe (cow leather). Click the

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-11595005049317530392007-12-11T15:02:00.000-05:002007-12-17T13:25:30.877-05:00

While every designer has their own method for Photoshop renderings (and I'm by no means an expert), I do get a lot of requests for the process that I typically take to create a presentation rendering. I've put together a little tutorial to show the steps I use. Click the Read More link below for all 6 parts of this tutorial. **one note- im doimg this tutotrial from a finished rendering "in

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-1149956448573600362007-12-11T15:00:00.000-05:002007-12-11T20:20:44.256-05:00

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-1120412119309358562007-12-11T14:59:00.000-05:002007-12-29T11:36:43.053-05:00

A to Z of footwear technical terms, construction methods, part names, and more. Buff To remove material by a sanding or roughing process. For example, EVA midsoles are buffed before assembly to help break the smooth surface for better adhesion to the upper. Cement/Board Lasting A lasting process where the insole board (carboard or texon) is inserted onto the last bottom and the lasting

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-66643003078076688862007-12-11T14:58:00.000-05:002008-04-07T18:45:59.788-04:00

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-9758522513640209642007-07-04T13:20:00.000-04:002007-12-11T16:25:33.945-05:00

Side project sketching exercise- Revival Converse style, based on the Pro Team, Pro Star, Pro Leather, Weapon. Overall design focused on ankle support and use of large, high quality leather panels in reference to the original leather styles. No overcomplicated technical story here, just exploration of pattern and minimal overlays with links to the original forms. Some patterns are flipped (

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-35518869057575067462007-07-01T18:19:00.000-04:002007-12-10T18:53:48.392-05:00

Another good excercise for those not so comfortable drawing footwear in 3D. Sketch a range of upper and outsole 3D views, without worrying about the design. Repeat, daily! an quick example of a 3d sketch session. R

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-20779414122419033962007-06-28T12:31:00.000-04:002007-12-10T18:54:09.857-05:00

Some good discussions going on now on the core77 footwear forums at http://boards.core77.com/viewforum.php?f=24 Once discussion is about designing a shoe for a specific category, and how to express a product DNA through proportion, pattern and form to fit. I've suggested the following tip- One trick I find in designing any type of shoes for a particular category is first finding out what

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-306822672308118922007-04-23T12:14:00.000-04:002007-12-10T13:15:07.996-05:00

...Just got back from a great weekend up in Ottawa to check out my alma mater, Carleton Universtity School of Industrial Design. I was honored to be asked to be the keynote speaker at the Alumni Reception on Saturday, and presented my thoughts on design and my experience to the graduating class and ID Alumni. The Graduation Exhibition, titled 'Open up to Design' features the works of the 4th

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-24156314036160974742007-03-11T08:53:00.000-04:002007-12-10T13:16:05.774-05:00

Just got back late yesterday from my trip to Hong King and China, and have lots of great pics and posts that will be up soon. First up, a nice Panoramic shot of HK (Kowloon, Mon Kok area) at night Click the pic for the full size pic (sorry, can't upload a larger pic to flickr/photobucket)

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-68658448576752910542007-02-28T07:07:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:17:19.112-05:00

The concept of character is very important in all hummel products. Character since 1923 is now the company tagline (our "Just Do It"), and this concept evolved and was first developed in footwear. I first created the "Jeg har Karakter" concept ("I have Character", in Danish) for my first new football collection with hummel, the 2006 Collection. (see post here about the concept and design brief

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-79638128469625285542007-02-26T09:29:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:18:10.298-05:00

As mentioned in the 8.4 PIO FGX Unboxing post, I have been involved in more than just "footwear design" here at hummel. A large part of my work is the strategic design and creative direction of the hummel Footwear brand. One of the very first things I did after starting at hummel 2.5 years ago was to build up a portfolio and create a brand package for technology and performance features that

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-35928880532774575862007-02-23T04:03:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:19:14.619-05:00

I am a big believer in total product experience. As such a lot of my effort here at hummel as Footwear Dept. Manager has been not only focused on the footwear product, but the supplemental things that combine to create a positive experience for the consumer. This includes packaging, graphics, instructions and more. As you will see in the post below, the new 8.4 PIO FGX really presents a total

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-79312913597544774072007-02-21T07:45:00.000-05:002007-12-11T16:34:37.779-05:00

Finally! After more than 1 year in development and production the first 8.4 PIO FGX production shoes arrived today at the office direct from our warehouse (via the factory in China, of course). The 8.4 PIO FGX has, since the project inception, been my "baby" and incorporates the culmination of several years of work in rebranding the hummel footwear product. From the design of new box, new

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-65421566916245265312007-02-19T09:09:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:20:21.569-05:00

One of the best things about going down to Copenhagen recently was CPH Vision was....Copenhagen! In my opinion, THE top city for its combination of European flavor, medium size, and great design and fashion, everywhere. Click the Read More line below for more pics of KBH.

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-60104698404899838582007-02-15T05:39:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:20:55.141-05:00

I probably spent more time looking at people than at the clothes, but did notice a few trends to speak of. Certainly, as mentioned earlier and seen as well at ISPO, the 80's and early 90's colors and patterns are moving things in sportswear in one direction. A mix between urban camo, and 80s skiing, prints like this hot pink, blue, green are (unfortunately in my opinion) coming back. Click

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-57265011760734518112007-02-13T02:40:00.000-05:002007-12-10T16:01:09.397-05:00

CPH Vision, like most fashion trade fairs is a place to not only spot new brands and trend, but many very interesting people. Personally, I find the fashion people more interesting than most of the fashion. 80's is back....with a vengeance. If these fashionistas are to be believed, we will all be back in hot pink and leggings, sweating to the oldies in no time. In my opinion, I find it all a

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-54378926339205214442007-02-12T10:02:00.000-05:002007-12-10T16:02:04.898-05:00

First up in coverage from CPH Vision is the new hummel booth and collection. hummel presented a new booth for CPH Vision, which combined the traditional Dansih wood aesthetic with clips of hummel history and past highlights, inspired by the recent hummel Indoor and Old School catalogs I was involved with. The latest (FW07) footwear collection was also presented, which I will cover in more

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-75280178734604347152007-02-12T07:58:00.000-05:002007-12-10T16:03:15.284-05:00

Just got back from a great weekend in Copenhagen full of CPH Vision, Copenhagen Fashion Week some great shows, parties, shopping and a day in Malmo, Sweden. Overall, probably the best, most inspiring weekend I've had in a long time. Copenhagen is a great center for Design and Fashion, and Fashion Week only adds to the unique Scandinavian eccentricity and charm. I'm now working through almost

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-26368719905221201482007-02-12T07:54:00.000-05:002007-12-10T16:04:28.811-05:00

UPDATE- Styledepartment.com interview with me about hummel and First Pullover is now up. here as well, translated German version is available here

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-75818564773935821012007-02-08T08:29:00.000-05:002007-12-11T16:35:58.857-05:00

A little late on the coverage (been so busy with ISPO and everything else, but thought I would post a few pics and comments regarding the recent XX Men's Handball World Championship held in Germany 20/01 - 03/02. Click the Read More link below for lots more pics and info covering the WC07. For this very special event hummel put together a exclusive marketing and sponsorship campaign, "

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14136012.post-15803895134103253302007-02-08T08:10:00.000-05:002007-12-10T16:05:33.533-05:00

I didn't have too much time to explore and shop around Munich while I was there for ISPO, and it was my first time in the city, so I am sure missed a lot of hotspots... ...in any case, check out some pics from my trip below. Not particularily trend/footwear oriented, a little feel of my trip nonetheless. Click the Read More link below for more pics.

rkuchinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731072378725707809noreply@blogger.com