Brief
Main Project.
[ Internship Project ]
As part of my first internship at the danish fashion brand Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen, I was tasked to play a critical role in developing the first entry of their footwear series.
Luckily, with my internship starting in March and having a duration of 6 months, I could partake in the whole design process of the product from start to finish.
Throughout the development cycle, I was continuously given more liberty and responsibility and had the chance to work with prototypes from the manufacturer, directly communicate mistakes and wishes to them, and even help with the fittings and product shootings at the end.
Exploration
Early Sketches.
Following an extensive introduction to the brand's overall identity and the upcoming collection's direction, I was tasked with generating a wide range of shoes that could fit within the vision.
The product would become Iso.Poetism's first footwear product that introduced the brand to a new category, and set the stage for following shoes.
Following 100+ different first designs and two following iterations, the final selection fell on a high-top, boot-sneaker hybrid.
What immediately brought attention to this particular design, was its peculiar lacing system and the simple, yet technical architecture of the shoe's upper.
Definition
Technical Drawings.
Having got the go from lead designer and founder Tobias Birk Nielsen, I was then tasked to create tech drawings of the selected shoe model.
These were created in Adobe Illustrator and show seams, layers, logos and the lacing system, initially planned to be made from plastic tubing.
Finishes
Texturing.
A big part of the brands' identity lies in the rough, organic finishes of garments, achieved through hand dyes, coatings and material composites.
Combining my research, the brands' know-how and the manufacturers' input, we figured out what is possible, within budget and durable enough to maintain the high-quality standard the brand is known for.
Prototypes
Adjustments and Selection.
Following the previous definition of the shoe's design, we received an initial rough prototype from the manufacturer. With this prototype, we could get a better feel for the overall composition, needed tolerances, sample materials in use and experiment with the lacing system.
Having communicated the desired changes to be made with the first prototype, we received a second one in a near-finished state. Upon fitting and testing the shoes ourselves, we could then correct what wasn't to our liking just yet. We could even experiment with some quick sponge and drip-dyeing techniques, as the received prototype arrived with an all-white mesh upper.
RESULT
Photographs.
The pandemic was in full swing, and we had to cancel the planned photoshoot, which was going to be outdoors, and instead come up with an alternative.
Photographer and Graphic Designer Micheal C. Madsen developed the concept for an in-house set, made from painted and sculpted canvas, which I helped build.
Launch
Press Release.
With the product being developed fully and the studio awaiting the shipments from the manufacturer, we had the chance of placing a press-release on hypebeast.
The editorial graphic shown below was created by me, then refined by Tobias and Michael.
Addition
Renderings.
[ Gray-Colourway ]
The 3D-Model, environment and textures were retrospectively made by myself as an addition to flesh out the project more and get in some exercise of the Blender workflow.
What you see below emerged from an entirely Blender workflow, including modelling, texturing, lighting rendering and animating.
