It is safe to say that Sean O'Shea is one of the leading footwear designers in the world! He has had an illustrious career spanning nearly 20 years that includes design roles at nearly every major sneaker brand such as Converse, Adidas, GBMI (Diesel, Pony), Nike, Hilfiger, Guess, Head of US Footwear Design at Puma, and currently the Head of the US Design Center for the Chinese brand, Anta.
In this episode, Sean shares his sneaker industry journey which started as a college basketball player to art school and breaking into the business of design as well as how he often crossed paths and worked together with The Sole Chronicles hosts Nekeda and Muhammida along the way on projects designing footwear collaborations with Snoop Dogg and Diddy. Sean also shares a story of conceptualizing bringing Jay Z on board as the Creative Director of Puma Basketball.
This episode provides an insiders view of the world of sneakers from the vantage of a leading designer and his all-star design crew and highlights his talent, vision, leadership, and passion for hip hop culture which has kept him at the top of the game.