2023 wrap and the beginning of this Blog
This is a bit of an experiment and an exercise to compile more of my thoughts and journey in footwear. I will recap the last year and summarize a bit of my career.
2023 is defined by my departure from Garrixon and arrival at On. After roughly 3 years at Garrixon, I left in September to move to Zurich where I joined On as a pattern engineer. My last 8 months at Garrixon were spent as a 3D Design Engineer. I am grateful for that experience as I was able to gain a better understanding of the footwear making process. Learning how to create the BU 3D complemented the prior 2 years of pattern engineering training by teaching me about the relationship the last, upper and BU have to each other. They all must work in harmony if the shoe is to be comfortable, durable and possible to manufacture. I started off with a rubber cupsole for “Aglet”. It was pretty basic, but. a good place for me to start. My key takeaways were the importance of the 2D blueprint and Flow Along Srf. It was also confusing to experience the difficult communication with the mold shop in Korea, and the chaos of the blueprints being transferred back and forth. The attention to detail that I wanted to have what just not a priority for them. I further completed cupsoles for Mache and Garrixon, each with increasing complexity. I hope to see either of the Garrixon cupsoles in production. The next step was EVA/Phylon runner soles. I completed Mache’s runner and 2 more for Garrixon. My “MadMax” model was used directly for the mold whereas all previous models were altered in one way or another by the mold shop. Several other models were created along the way for practice. My Salomon XT Quest model was a great challenge and was my first BU with multiple components. I rounded out my time at Garrixon by completing 3p of Gats from my mom, myself and El. I also validated a pullover of my VVu Hike V2. I would like to complete a pair at some point.
In October I moved to Zurich and began my journey with On. Aside from the ongoing building of the workshop and the adjustment to a new country and company, I do not have much to speak of yet. More to come.
Happy New Year!
-Toby