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Tinker Hatfield oversees special design projects at Nike, including those that fall outside of the regular product design structure and formal design reviews. He designs a new Air Jordan shoe each year, and also creates environmentally preferred shoes and track & field spikes. Tinker has served as creative director for all LeBron James projects, designs shoes for Kobe Bryant and Lance Armstrong, and mentors young designers at Nike.
Among Tinker�s numerous achievements at Nike include designing the first LeBron James shoe and a pole vault shoe for former world record holder Stacy Dragila. Tinker also designed the original Air Pack Series (which included the first Visi-Air shoe, the Air Max), Pete Sampras tennis shoes, Andre Agassi footwear and apparel, and the original Air Huarache.
Tinker spearheaded the idea of Brand Jordan as a separate brand and division within Nike with the direct involvement of Michael Jordan. The brand, which made its debut in 1997, has since grown into a premiere brand of footwear, apparel and accessories. Tinker also invented the industry�s first cross-trainer, the Air Trainer. The cross-training shoe, which occurred to Tinker while watching gym-goers jump among different activities in the same shoes, spurred the creation of a separate cross-training footwear category.
Before joining Nike, Tinker worked as an independent architect in Eugene, Ore. He also served as an architect for the Balzhiser group.
Tinker�s favorite innovation at Nike is the Waffle sole. A runner while at the University of Oregon, Tinker switched to Nike-brand running shoes under the guidance of running coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who was inventing Waffle soles at the time. I never looked back after experiencing the dramatic improvement in cushioning and traction, which comes from the waffles acting as shock absorbers when they push into the foam of the mid-sole, he said. | 