The New Black History: Interview With adidas Designer Xavier Jones
By
By Stadium Goods |The New Black History: Interview With adidas Designer Xavier Jones
We spoke to adidas Basketball footwear designer Xavier Jones about his passion for his work and what New Black History means to him.
Zack Schlemmer
If there’s one word you should think of after reading the following interview with footwear designer Xavier Jones, it’s “passion.” Indeed, Xavier, who is one of the innovative designers at adidas Basketball, has great passion for what he does. His love for creating sneakers and the respect he has for those that came before him are almost palpable as you read his words. And isn’t that the dream right there? Getting paid to create exactly what you’re passionate about?
This year the Stadium Goods “New Black History” series kicks off with Mr. Jones, who was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us concerning his work, his inspirations, and his future goals, which you’ll learn go well beyond sneaker design.
Check out the full interview below.
First off, please just introduce yourself and let everybody know exactly what it is that you do at adidas.
I’m a designer with a passion for sport and cultural connectivity. I’m currently a Color & Materials Designer (CAM) for Adidas Basketball. I’m currently the lead designer for Restomod (Retro) products. This encompasses crafting new stories, and Color & Material ways for iconic athletes like Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, and the Crazy franchise. I also design Color & Materials stories for our performance line Adidas Select, as well as Trae Young, Derrick Rose, and Donovan Mitchell.
How did you first get started in the industry? What made you want to become a footwear designer?
I got my start in the industry as a Footwear Design Intern at New Balance, where I worked for the performance Running category. I then moved over to Reebok and worked within numerous categories. I started in Classics in 2016 as a global designer focusing on Men’s lifestyle and Basketball product. I also worked on Collaborations (Certified Network), CTM Product (Close To Market) where I worked with various retailers, brands, sneaker boutiques, and brand partners. I then moved to Vietnam in 2019 to design within our factories at the Reebok / Adidas Creation Center. There I primarily focused on core lifestyle and core performance products. I also continued my design efforts within our Basketball sector of Classics during my Reebok tenure.
I knew I wanted to become a footwear designer when I was around 10 years old. I believe my first realization of footwear design was during a summer camp activity at the Flint Urban league. We were asked to draw a sneaker during an arts portion of a camp day and from there I was hooked! My mother then added fuel to fire by motivating me to turn that spark into a reality.
The UNIK x Reebok Answer: One of many collaborations Xavier has helped design.
How would you define “New Black History,” and how do you think you’re creating it?
I would define New Black History as the continued progression of innovative ideas and thoughts that pushes society forward. I believe history is created when you enact positive change to better the lives of those currently, and future generations.
I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily creating Black History. I simply aspire to have impact and to inspire the next generation of those coming behind me. I believe that with dedication and perseverance you can manifest anything, but I'm not comfortable saying I’m making history. I have much more to contribute to humanity before I would say I’m making Black History.
Are there any Black footwear designers that have inspired you in your career? Or other Black artists or creators from other fields?
I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me and made it possible for me to live out my dreams. So I would like to shout out the G.O.A.T.S. that inspired me along the way! Wilson Smith, Charles Johnson, E.Scott Morris, Drew Greer, Gentry Humphrey, D’Wayne Edwards, Shane Ward, Shawn Ward, David Raysse, Guy Marshall, Dallas Stokes, Roosevelt Brown, Que Gaskins, Bobbito Garcia, Astor Chambers, Jason Mayden, Justin Taylor, Jamaal Lucas, Cheresse Thronhil-Goldson, Josiah Lake, Kimberly Shane, Brian Lee, Damion Presson, Ian Williams, Cam Mason, Eric Wise, Rashad Williams and Jeremy Sallee. Also everyone I missed!
All of these individuals have inspired me and have contributed to my success in this industry.
In your time in the sneaker industry, have you seen a lot of Black people and People of Color being hired? Do you work with many now, or is there still a lot of room for improvement in respect to diversity in the industry?
I’m seeing a shift and there's currently more people of color in the industry. I would like to salute Adidas (L.A.) for being by far the most diverse working environment I’ve experienced. There’s both men and women of color in positions of power. I’m proud to see people of color getting the opportunity to contribute and to help change footwear. I would love for this to become the standard across the industry.
Secondly, I would like for brands to start empowering those who helped build the business with initiatives to ensure we retain talented individuals. It’s rare for people internally to have the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder. More times than not, external candidates are considered for new roles. This is even more prevalent amongst the design community. Footwear design is a young person's game and there’s often a shelf life for experienced design veterans. Footwear is one of the rare industries where experience can somewhat date you rather than enhance your desirability. I would like for brands to empower talent and give the OGs the platform to educate the next generation while passing down expertise and brand heritage.
Can you name one favorite experience you’ve had in your career? And what’s your favorite sneaker you’ve worked on?
My favorite experience would be working with Allen Iverson on various projects over the years. I find it surreal to have the opportunity to interact and work with someone who has such an impact on culture! A.I. was the athlete that defined my generation, so I’m extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to influence his product lineage.
My favorite sneaker I designed so far was the Reebok DMX Series 2000 for Swizz Beatz. The product stayed pretty close to Swizz’s, and the team's vision. Also we had relatively low issues during the manufacturing process for such a complex shoe. We were also able to keep the majority of the hero elements on the product and that’s always a designers dream!
The Reebok Answer Legacy, designed by Xavier (Picture courtesy of Reebok)
What is your dream project?
My dream project would be to work with brands on developing agriculture to provide healthier food options for athletes in economically challenged areas. We often think about enhancing athlete performance through products, but not about the food they consume daily. Oftentimes athletes come from underprivileged backgrounds and only have access to meal prep and healthier eating options after reaching the pinnacle of sport. I would like to help mitigate this by using brand outlets to make this accessible for our youth in underserved communities.
Partnering with a food manufacturer and using its distribution channels to offer widespread availability could be a solution? Or even a weekly based subscription service for those interested in these options? All just ideas, but we need more healthier options and to influence positive change in these areas! We tend to share the sentiment of being lifestyle brands and this fits the narrative of enriching the daily lives of brand loyalists.
So what’s in the near future for Xavier Jones? What New Black History will you be creating next?
Again, I just want to continue to have an impact on those around me and to keep putting my best foot forward. I want to be an inspiration to young black kids and to inspire them to chase their dreams!!! Anything’s possible! Keep dreaming and keep believing!
Hopefully I can be a vessel or source of inspiration for the next person to create Black History. I’m not sure where my place is within History at the moment, but I’m in the process of writing my story. Hopefully I look back on this in the future with admiration of my wisdom and personal growth.
You can follow Xavier on Instagram @xavierjones_xci