Mizuno Wave Rider 26 [Roxy]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Rider 26 [Roxy]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Lightning Neo 2 [Kintsugi]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Lightning Z7 [Kintsugi]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Momentum 2 [Kintsugi]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Momentum 2 Mid [Kintsugi]
Color Design
2021
Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 5 [Neo Retro]
Color Direction
2021
Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 5 [Neo Retro]
Color Direction
2021
Salomonsters (2020) is the result of my passion for footwear design and attentiveness to cultural trends. I select key design details from iconic sneakers and merge them into conceptual “monster” hybrids. One could say I’m upcycling e-commerce imagery to extend their life cycle. This experimental design process allows me to think without restrictions, imagine dream collaborations and be a source of inspiration to the designers who’ve inspired me in the first place. I’m heavily influenced by running, the outdoors, and contemporary sneaker culture. Here is where I bring these worlds together through @_salomonsters.
With a global pandemic causing us to spend more time inside, I created the running club Positive Mental Energy for New York City to “Connect, explore, and heal. Together”.
While the first lockdown of 2020 set the backdrop for such a group, I had several other intentions with this project. The main objective was to create a space for runners who didn’t want to obsess with pace but would rather focus on the mental health benefits as well as the social component which running can offer. Also, I was convinced that a group would provide a sense of safety to those who usually don’t feel comfortable with the idea of running on their own after dark.
After designing the brand identity and content for social media, I launched the instagram page @positivementalenergy.nyc to reach runners from New York. A few weeks later I was hosting several runs a week—in Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Central Park— with a core group of 15-20 runners. Since then, I’ve secured a partnership with Arc’teryx New York who sponsors our runs and equips our members through giveaways each month.
William G. Hildebrand ³ (b. 1994 in Arles, France) is a color and material footwear designer at Nike. With over eight years of experience in the fashion and footwear industry, he has developed a set of analytical and design skills which have shaped him into a multidisciplinary creative. In 2018, William moves to New York to start a trend strategist position for Fashion Snoops—a trend forecasting agency—where he led projects for heavy hitting brands such as Timberland, Vans, Woolrich, and Foot Locker. Through this role, he develops a fascination for crafting narratives which connect the dots between culture, consumers and product. Early 2020, when William was dreaming of a career in footwear design, he starts Salomonsters—a conceptual mash-up project on Instagram—where he selects key design details from iconic sneakers and merges them into conceptual “monster” hybrids. This experimental side project, which caught the eye of the global footwear community, acted as a portfolio when applying for design roles later on. In 2021, William relocates to Rotterdam where he starts his footwear design journey at Mizuno. In this position, Will collaborates with the global footwear team to establish seasonal color strategies for performance and sportstyle categories through market research, trend analysis, and concept development. Fast forward to June 2022, William lands a Color and Material Designer position at Nike EMEA GEL—a dream position where he can apply his knowledge in trend forecasting and pursue his passion for design.