Heyday Footwear founder, chief designer and CEO Darin Hager hand-painted his Chucks in high school and was “always into fashion”, but he failed design class as a high school freshman…three years later, as a senior, he only managed to climb up to the universal social promotion grade — a “D”. Fast forward the future and he’s, well, Darin Hager. “I would love to tell that teacher to fuck off ;) but he did introduce me to Steely Dan and Bob Marley…so I’ll let him slide ;)” In this Q+A Hager shares images of his key designs, discusses other jobs he’s held (including design of Marvel Comics action figures) and even addresses the issue of domestic manufacture.
When I was sixteen, I bought a pair of boxing shoes and found myself ridiculed by my Mod, New Romantic, New Wave, Rockabilly, Punk, and Goth friends because boxing shoes were what Hair Metal drummers wore. They were a pain to lace up, and I also busted my ass a few times in the rain because the all-leather soles of them bad boys were insanely slick. So I went to the shoe repair shop and had them glue rubber soles onto them, ‘cause to me they were straight badass shoes. I always longed for more extreme hi-tops: fencing shoes, motorcycle racing boots, ski boots, boxing shoes were coveted…so it’s fun to see how bolder and bolder (and hopefully, bolder) approaches to lifestyle hi-tops have emerged. Here’s my q + a with Darin Hager about his approach to hi-tops….
by Michael Vazquez
How and why did you come to use memory foam?
Most sneakers that are in the lifestyle, casual, fashion, street category, (whatever you want to call it) are just not that comfortable. Either they are retro, reissue styles from 10,20 or even 30 years ago when the standards of comfort and footwear technology were just not up to the levels found today or they are “knock offs” made by companies that aren’t really in the footwear industry because they are licensing a brand name, use inexpensive materials or construction or they just don’t know what they are doing. Heydays are extremely comfortable because of my background as a footwear designer for almost 15 years with brands including Puma, Sperry Top-Sider, Hi-Tec Sports among dozens of others. I have been to Taiwan and China over 40 times to work in factories, learn how shoes are made, and build relationships with other suppliers and friends in the industry. What that all means is I’m not a former skateboarder, graff artist, MC or sneaker shop hanger-on. I’m a highly trained footwear designer, developer and entrepreneur. Adding memory foam to the molded EVA footbed makes you say “aaaahhh” the second you put a Heyday on. It’s not just the memory foam that makes them so comfortable. I designed the “last” which is what gives a shoe its shape. I added flex grooves in the forefoot of the outsole to greatly increase flexibility. This is something everyone expects on a running shoe but is not often found on a “fashion sneaker”. The insole board (which most consumers will never see) was developed to provide stiffness in the heel and flexibility in the flex area and works in concert with the outsole flex grooves.
What are MF’s properties which make it work well in-shoe and what are its properties that make it difficult — or easy for construction? What other materials were you considering? Is it more expensive or less expensive and how did you access the materials from the company — were they surprised by your request?? Do other shoe companies use MF?
We are by no means the only company to use memory foam. We are one of the few outside of the “comfort” category that do, though. It does increase the price of the footbed rather than using only EVA or PU. There are other types of foams, features and constructions in footbed that improve the comfort, wear and even smell of shoes and we are looking at using them in future constructions.
Tell me about your design history and some of your signature shoes and personal design breakthroughs.
I was a toy designer in NY for several years during and after design school. I worked on action figures, playsets and vehicles for Toy Biz, which at the time was doing all of the Marvel comics characters as well as Hercules, Xena, and Power Rangers. It was fun initially but I just wasn’t as skilled at illustration as many of the other guys there, some of who went on to draw the comic books at Marvel and DC.
I found a shoe design position through my college’s career center and worked on shoes for Saucony, NB and Tecnica as a consultant for about a year or so. I then moved to California as a Design Manager for Hi-Tec Sports working primarily on light hiking and trail running shoes. This was back when adventure racing was blowing up and I first started gaining experience in working with factories in Asia. I then moved back to NY for a minute to work with DKNY Active. That lasted all of 6 weeks…I hated it and was able to take a job offer that was my 2nd choice behind DKNY as a designer at Puma. This was in February 2000 and Puma was not at all on the level they are now known for. The Mostro and Sprint had just come out and they were doing a whole lot of nothing. I can’t say that changed when I came on board; it was a real group effort among a large selection of designers who made a lasting effort on the success of the brand. I did have a few design hits there including the Japandal flip flop, Scrill climbing shoe and Kendo martial arts shoe.
Hager’s Japandal
Hager’s Scrill
Hager’s Kendo
I spent 4 years there and loved most of it. I made lasting friendships with many of the designers, 2 of whom have Heyday’s named after them (Eggert Slip-on and Johnny K Boot). I then moved on to a more senior role at Sperry Top-sider where I honed my skills in developing and merchandising in both hand-sewn moc constructions and more progressive (for Sperry) projects. After 2 years and much frustration with being restricted to shoes that were for the most part meant for older guys shopping mid level department stores with 20% off coupons from the Sunday paper in hand, I went off on my own and began consulting for other brands including Sebago, Dunham, Privo, Saucony, Reebok, OTB Boots, Black Hawk and other footwear lines that were across all different categories.
In working for others, what were some of the extra freedoms you enjoyed as regards budget etc and what were some of the limitations you dealt with as regards the range of your vision?
Your vision is put on hold to that of the largest customer…what Macy’s wants, Macy’s gets, at least in my experience at STS. Of course, flying 22 hours to China in business or first class and having a steady paycheck helped to offset any nagging doubts I had as to whether or not that was the right place for me long term. Now I have my own line and I fly coach, usually with miles rewards and live a mildly austere life for a guy who used to love the finer things in life. But knowing that I’m responsible for 99% of what I do and having the full support of my family more than makes up for the lack of a steady income (though not for long ;)
Do you still design outside of your own brand? If so, do you have more leverage in determining the entire look for your clients now that you have your own line?
I do still take on other projects but have to limit them because as an entrepreneur I handle every aspect of the company including design, development, sales, PR, marketing, logistics warehousing, Web, legal, barcodes, customs, financing…. etc. I have a fantastic National Sales Manager, Clint Miller who has taken almost all of the sales load off my shoulders and is instrumental in design and retail strategy. I also have a full-time developer in China who oversees every aspect of production.
Did you start out looking to have your own company or did the constraints of working for others force you to break out?
I felt constrained at my previous jobs, though not entirely due to design issues but I just feel that I may be better off being the boss… (See cartoon attached)
What were you like as a kid and how did you come into shoe design?
I was not a particularly talented athlete and I always was into fashion but was definitely not a sneaker head and in fact had failed design class in high school as a freshman and only got a D- as a senior…I would love to tell that teacher to fuck off ;) but he did introduce me to Steely Dan and Bob Marley…so I’ll let him slide ;)
[EDITOR’S NOTE FROM MICHAEL VAZQUEZ]: My eighth grade English teacher once offered an automatic “A” to anyone who could name the Steely Dan album that is spelled the same way backwards and forwards, and I was the only kid who got it right: Aja
What collabs would you like to do in the future?
We are fully booked with collabs for 2010 after coming off a strong start in 2009 with our Super Deb sneaker we did with Nooka, a hot watch company out of NY. All I can say is the minds of different groups will be blown away when these drop this Summer.
What shoes and shoe designers did you come up admiring?
None…I’m 38 years old and when I was in high school, it was just not like it is today with everyone knowing everything because of that damn InterWeb ;) I did have the Air Revolutions when they dropped in 87 or 88 and hand-painted a number of Chuck Taylors through the years in high school.
Do you — or why don’t you — do women’s shoes? Any future plans to do women?
We are launching a small women’s line in 2010…I felt it was important to get Men’s really off the ground rather spreading myself thin and getting into a new gender. It’s only because I received about 50 requests in the past few months from women who wanted to know if they could Heyday in smaller sizes. And my wife needs to have some new kicks…she’s sample size, as am I.
For more than twenty years, folks have been emphasizing the ankle treatment of their hi-tops — Why do you think hi-tops hold such classic appeal? The return of skinny jeans over the past decade has certainly facilitated the design hi-tops boasting unique ankle treatments — how did this help liberate your approach?
You said it yourself…the return of skinny jeans helped push high tops into the forefront of sneaker design. There’s also more to “work” with in a high top from design standpoint, more that you can do. High tops won’t be big forever and we have new lows and mids and boots to drop in the line…Heyday is not a one-trick pony with a single shoe that is hot for a minute because some tool who has “hype” says it is. Heyday is a complete design philosophy that is incorporated into every shoe we do, whether it’s a high fashion shoe for Revolve, a sneaker for Finish Line or a boot for Bloomingdale’s.
How do you factor in pricing? These seem like hard shoes to keep affordable.
It is hard and with the economy in the shitter, we’ve had to make adjustments to our shoes to keep pace with the price points that people are spending. The difference between an artist and a designer is the ability and desire to make a living. If I want to make $300 sneakers and no one wants them because everyone is feeling a financial burden now, I’ll be broke for the rest of my life. I’m going to be like bamboo; strong enough to stay true to my designs but flexible enough to bend in the wind of current economic conditions.
Do you envision manufacturing in the U.S.? What are the key obstacles for a business like yours to doing so? What could the present administration do to encourage domestic manufacturing?
There is very little footwear manufacturing in the US for one more or less simple reason; the infrastructure needed to support the industry is not located here anymore. Yes there are a few small factories left that make mostly leather-soled shoes; shoes that don’t require as many components from outside suppliers. A dress shoe or hand-sewn moccasin is all leather with a leather or simple rubber sole and is most likely made by hand and comes at a high price. A running shoe that may have up to 40 or 50 different components including complex molded rubber outsoles, EVA midsoles, synthetic leathers, meshes, RF welding, molded components etc can’t be made here because none of the companies that supply all the millions of components and materials are located here.
Do you arrive at your designs through flashes of intuition or is it a more laborious process? What’s the process of designing a shoe from concept to product like and what’s it like trying different materials in the studio? Do you work solo or do you have a design team?
I usually dream of my designs or see a “flash” of an image in mind while I’m doing something else. I may see another shoe that makes me think of something similar I could do or takes me in a whole new direction. My design process usually starts with a few quick hand drawn sketches then progresses to Illustrator, Photoshop and maybe a quick mock up. Then it’s off to my boutique factory for them to try it and we go back and forth a few times until it’s right. Or it’s not and gets put on a shelf to look at for another time. I do all of the designs myself. The reason my line is so unique is because it’s my vision. While I may not always be able to be the sole designer as my business and brand grows, I would prefer it.
How do you handle your promo? A lot of stores are starting to come to you — how do you decide what’s a good retail partner?
We look at what brands do the carry and at what level? What is they’re credit like; can they pay their bills? What will being in their store do for the brand? There are some stores you need to be in and treat it as a marketing expense or exercise because of the notoriety you gain from being sold there. Other retailers help to pay the bills so to speak so we can continue to do all of the new things we want. I’m a designer AND business owner…
Do you plan on expanding beyond shoes in 2010 or the longer-term future? What are you looking at for Summer 2010 that you can share with us?
Right now we have no firm plans to go beyond shoes in 2010, but never say never…
Darin Hager discusses his brand’s evolution
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