Redesigning the Nike Cortez

Project Focus | Footwear Manufacturing

Skills | Tech Pack Assembly, Production

2 week Intensive, Summer 2024

*generated with VizCom AI

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ra . ni
/ˈränē,räˈnē/

noun: a Hindu queen, either by marriage to a raja (king) or in her own right.

Rani is a luxury brand that celebrates women by giving them the royal treatment. Inspired by Desi culture, the collection promotes vibrancy and life into staple wardrobe pieces.

Inspiration

1700's India

Mughal Dynasty

Princesscore

The Blueprint

Nike Cortez

Udaipur ki Rani

Colorways of India

I used the blueprint for colorway explorations and tried out various combinations and placements to achieve the right visual balance

The rendered mockup shows the materials and embellishments in use. I also changed the lacing to use a gilly style of lacing to emphasize the eyestay’s silhouette.

Visualize

Under Construction

I worked on the physical shoe in parallel to the digital assets. It was informative to work in the factory and manufacture the shoe using the right machines made for the job.

Tape Drawing

Patterning

Assembly

Final Steps

I wanted to recreate a "getting ready" moment with the mirrored mandap corner display. The collection sits next to a porcelain velakku (lamp) to complete the ritual.

The luxurious unboxing experience begins with mosaic patterning and gilded edges, lined with satin. The hang tags also double as key charms.

The asymmetrical elephants had a lot of potential for an iconic silhouette across the collection. (also because i've met multiple elephants names Rani)

Branding

Tech Pack

Since it is an asymmetrical shoe, I made sure to emphasize the differing elephant silhouettes as the side stripes on the redesigned Nike Cortez in the tech pack for manufacturing.

Rani is inspired by my mom’s love for elephants. I designed it around a culture that I grew up, adding some of the best parts of its fashion to my shoe design.

Meet the Gang!

I loved working with an amazing group of designers over 2 weeks at La La Land. It was a hectic but incredible experience! Coverage of the BTS can be found on instagram.