In my own words
— DerekA 'Swiss army knife' of Footwear Design with a proven history of designing for the retail industry.
Skilled in performance, fashion, and casual footwear design, with expertise in conceptual and technical design processes. Passionate about pushing the boundaries of footwear design, combining creativity, technical skills, and attention to detail to create innovative and inspiring products.
Trajectory
Aug 2023 — Now
Senior Manager, Footwear Design · Crocs
Apr 2022 — Aug 2023
Global Footwear Designer II, Field of Play · Under Armour
Global Footwear Designer - Lacrosse, Golf, and other cleated products.
Sep 2019 — Apr 2022
Global Footwear Designer A - Category Lead · Vans, a VF Company
-Global Footwear Designer for Vans Lifestyle Footwear. Heavy focus on progression and lifestyle newness for the brand, as well as All-Weather MTE, Outdoor Inspired, Snowboarding boots, and action sports styles. New style creation for Men's, Women's, Kid's, and innovation.
-Category Lead designer, intern recruitment and mentor.
-Seasonal trend forecasting, color design, and special projects for both seasonal in-line products as well as SMU projects. Athlete, Musician, and Brand Collaborations.
Nov 2016 — Aug 2019
Global Footwear Designer B · Vans, a VF Company
Jan 2016 — Nov 2016
Global Footwear Designer C · Vans, a VF Company
Feb 2015 — Jan 2016
Footwear Designer · BucketFeet
Global Footwear Designer and Accessories Designer. Men's, Women's, All-Weather, and special collaborations in a fast-paced start-up environment.
Jun 2014 — Dec 2014
Footwear Design Intern · New Balance
Category intern in Women's Training Footwear, special projects in Walking and Baseball categories as well.
Jan 2014 — Apr 2014
Footwear Design Intern · Kenneth Cole Productions
Heavy focus on Men's fashion Footwear Design, POP accessories, design operations and trend forecasting.
May 2013 — Nov 2013
History Management Intern - Footwear · adidas group
Utilized my comprehensive knowledge in footwear design, shoe technology, and sports to protect, preserve, and describe adidas’s entire basketball shoe history and technical drawings for internal and public archive use.
Activity
Education history
Iowa State University
Bachelor of Industrial Design | 2009 - 2013
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
Semester Abroad | 2012 - 2012
