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Tinker Hatfield oversees special design projects at Nike, including those that fall outside of the regular product design structure and formal design reviews. He designs a new Air Jordan shoe each year, and also creates environmentally preferred shoes and track & field spikes. Tinker has served as creative director for all LeBron James projects, designs shoes for Kobe Bryant and Lance Armstrong, and mentors young designers at Nike.
Among Tinker’s numerous achievements at Nike include designing the first LeBron James shoe and a pole vault shoe for former world record holder Stacy Dragila. Tinker also designed the original Air Pack Series (which included the first Visi-Air shoe, the Air Max), Pete Sampras tennis shoes, Andre Agassi footwear and apparel, and the original Air Huarache.
Tinker spearheaded the idea of Brand Jordan as a separate brand and division within Nike with the direct involvement of Michael Jordan. The brand, which made its debut in 1997, has since grown into a premiere brand of footwear, apparel and accessories. Tinker also invented the industry’s first cross-trainer, the Air Trainer. The cross-training shoe, which occurred to Tinker while watching gym-goers jump among different activities in the same shoes, spurred the creation of a separate cross-training footwear category.
Before joining Nike, Tinker worked as an independent architect in Eugene, Ore. He also served as an architect for the Balzhiser group.
Tinker’s favorite innovation at Nike is the Waffle sole. A runner while at the University of Oregon, Tinker switched to Nike-brand running shoes under the guidance of running coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who was inventing Waffle soles at the time. I never looked back after experiencing the dramatic improvement in cushioning and traction, which comes from the waffles acting as shock absorbers when they push into the foam of the mid-sole, he said. | 