BRAYDEN'S AIR HUARACHE RUN ULTRA
BEHIND THE DESIGN
Brayden Sparkman loves baseball and football, and the colors of his favorite teams help make his Air Huarache Run Ultra truly stand out. His Doernbecher Freestly design team, comprised of Footwear Designer Lauren Sebastian, Footwear Developer Daren Cejna, Apparel Developer Abbey Tollefsen and Apparel Graphic Designer Katie Bahr, helped him bring his unique vision to reality via collaboration and sport inspiration.
“If you look at the initial design and the shoe, it is essentially exactly the same. Brayden really knew exactly what he wanted,” says Lauren. Not only did Brayden know the color blocking and overall look he wanted for his shoe from the beginning, but he also had a distinct vision for the tongue logo. “He did his own customizing with the logo on the tongue, and we explored that a little bit from a design perspective and gave him some options,” says Daren.
“Brayden’s teammates actually designed the original logo for him when he was diagnosed, which stands for both ‘BRAYDEN STRONG’ and ‘BRAYDEN SPARKMAN,’ and we thought that was really powerful to use on both the footwear and the apparel,” reveals Katie. Splatter paint detailing on the laces and the midsole, as well as the distinct finish on the aglets, help round out the design and bring to life additional elements specific to Brayden's design aesthetic.
Ultimately, sport remains a defining factor in Brayden's life, and the details on his shoe help extend that. “We amplified the red contrast stitching, especially around the collar, which resembles a baseball,” says Daren. That bold detail, which runs through the footwear and apparel in the collection, highlights the impact of sport for Brayden, his teammates and his family. “The power of his teammates and how they rallied behind him, and the empowerment that comes with playing sports, is a huge takeaway and bright spot not only for Brayden, but also for us,” says Katie.
