The Jumpman logo stands for many things. Excellence, integrity, and authenticity to name a few, but a word that has become synonymous with MJ’s silhouette is “legendary.” While Jordan’s time in the NBA as a player is no longer, his line of footwear helps tell the story of the man who once dominated the game.
We had the fortunate opportunity to speak with the man in charge of overseeing the design of all shoes that bear this mark of excellence, D’Wayne Edwards. As the Footwear Design Director of Jordan Brand, D’Wayne oversees and mentors a handful of Jordan Brand footwear designers but also has designed a number of memorable shoes including a couple of Air Jordans and the entire Melo line.
D’Wayne shared with us what it was like to design a shoe with NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, the importance of Jordan Team members play in the legacy of Jordan Brand, as well as information about the next Future Sole design competition – something he had a major hand in creating.
Jordan Melo M5 designed by D’Wayne Edwards
Matt Halfhill: How was the process of designing the Melo M5 different from other shoes you have designed for Carmelo Anthony?
D’Wayne Edwards: The process started in Las Vegas when Team USA didn’t qualify for the Olympics. There I got to spend a lot of time with Carmelo as well as the other Team USA members and the more I was around Melo and the other guys, I really saw how incredible he was from an international basketball playing perspective. We started talking about the Olympics and how important it was to him to bring back the Gold Medal. And, ultimately, that became the theme for the shoe. It became the theme because of his play in the summertime because he was having to play all five positions on the court during the international game in which he was the only US player to be selected to the All World Team.
It was different for us because in the past we have had objects as the theme. Whether it was a car or a cat and this time it wasn’t an object, it was his style of play. We looked at his versatility and drew inspiration from different Olympic Sports that represented different positions on the court. Nike produced shoes for about 50 different sports in the Olympics, so I went and got samples from a handful of different sports and I went and looked at a number of them for their different attributes. The overall concept was Melo’s versatility and what would he need if he played all five positions on the court on a consistent basis in the NBA. The challenge became diving deep into the attributes of each position and tying it all together into one product. It was not an easy task and definitely not the perfect shoe for everyone, but it obviously has done more for Melo’s main position [forward] in the league but has benefits for other positions.
Matt: What importance do the Jordan Team Members have in the future of Jordan Brand?
D’Wayne: They are the new face of the brand. Michael is still the man behind the brand. His thing is he’s had his time and now there is a whole new generation of people who have never seen Michael play before and they’re used to seeing Melo, Ray, RIP, and CP play so it’s their time now. His legacy is the foundation and the model for these players and future players in the league to live up to. The Jordan Team Members are going to carry the torch for the next 23 or 24 years as well as the new guys. It is important for the new guys who are a part of Team Jordan to uphold the legacy and all the qualities that MJ brought to the table both on and off the court.
Matt: On that topic of handing off the torch, you will be handing off the torch of designing the Melo line after the M5. How do you feel about passing this on to someone else?
D’Wayne: I feel good. That’s what it’s about. My job as a manager, designer, and a mentor is to teach the younger people the skills that I have acquired over the course of my career. I have spent the last 10 years or so of my career mentoring and developing younger people because at a certain point I am going to stop. At a certain point I am not going to have the creativity to really make it happen like these younger Designers. It’s almost like a professional ball player where early on he relies on his physical gifts and later on when his physical gifts start to erode he relies on his mental gifts and wisdom. I still feel like I can design and I still have a lot of design in me, but for me it’s really about developing the people that I have to work with and developing the younger talent to carry on that legacy of being quality footwear designers. Justin Taylor is one of those young guys that I feel has a huge future in this industry and for me, I am just happy that I am getting a chance to work with, and mentor him and to provide him this opportunity.
