Introduction
This project was done as a collaboration with Pensole Lewis College and Chevrolet in Detroit, Michigan. It was a joint venture between me and color + material designer Dalton Griebel.
My main focus was footwear design, narrative building, and GTM strategy.
The Chevrolet Brand
Vehicle Inspiration
We were tasked with taking inspiration from the Chevrolet Equinox: a confident, capable, and everyday vehicle. It's the car that every soccer mom across the United States purchases.
Opportunities
Chevrolet's Consumers in 2030
Meet Angie Capra, a 42-year-old Italian-American super-mom of 15-year-old Gianna and 12-year-old Luca. She is your quintessential soccer mom that represents the common consumer that purchases the Chevrolet Equinox. She currently lives with her family in Andover, MA where she works professionally as a Rewilder & Nature Conservationist as well as a part-time soccer coach for Luca's club soccer team.
In her free time she is a climate activist, an e-commerce store owner of mycelium leather goods, and a mushroom forager. She's attuned to nature, cares about the environment, and is passionate about repopulating the Canada Lynx.
Chevrolet Synergy Soul of Lowell
Infrastructure is a key opportunity for the Chevrolet brand because infrastructure sets the standard for mobility. We imagine a Chevrolet creating a series of landscape + architectural interventions called: Synergy Souls.
This particular one in Lowell, Massachusetts will serve as a multi-mile linear park alongside the Merrimack River that harnesses and enhances the natural beauty of northern Mass.
Design Theme
Design Languages
Color + Material Stories
Done by Dalton Griebel.
Project Statement
User Problems of 2030
Solutions
Inspirations
Inspired by Angie's love for nature I focused on taking inspiration from the local flora and fauna of Massachusetts:
• Fangs and paws of the Canada lynx
• Swooping nature of the wild grasses
• Exoskeleton and adaptive mobility of the millipede
Millipede Adaptive Mobility
Footwear Design Process
Ideation Phase 1
Here I wanted to break the boundaries of a typical shoe silhouette
Ideation Phase 2
Furthering the thumbnail concepts and stumbling upon a silhouette that wasn't actually a shoe at all. This was the beginning of an exploration into creating an exoskeleton for a shoe. A shield to protect your feet from the elements with the ability to have a seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors.
Ideation Phase 3
Thinking through the functionality of the shoe:
• A removable knit bootie + midsole
• The "Snap - Pop - Lock" (SPL) technology
• A rigid exoskeleton that acts as a shield for the upper
Ideation Phase 4
Outsole inspiration from the lynx's paws and capturing the swooping nature of the wild grasses.
Ideation Phase 5
Pushing the outsole design further by fusing the form language of the lynx's paws with the functionality of the millipede's adaptive mobility.
Prototyping
I wanted to create a cost-effective prototype that could bring this design to life. After obtaining scrap materials, I embarked to the Dollar Store where I purchased masking tape, a craft knife, poster board, foam board, and hair brushes.
Tape UP
Pattern Making
Outsole Development & Knit Pullover
Cutting the pattern pieces & assembly
final design
3 Models, 3 Price Points
Creating accessibility to a wide variety of consumers while leaning into Chevrolet's trim package branding.
Chevrolet Lynx SS
Chevrolet Lynx RS
Chevrolet Lynx LT
Model Recap
Merch Page
Go-To-Market Strategy
