About The Design: Air Max 1 Survivor
We invited our followers to design their dream sneakers— visualize your idea, describe it, and give it a catchy name. Then, TEAM VIJZ reviewed all the entries and chose a winner. The creativity and passion from our participants made this anniversary one to remember!
Now, we're excited to announce that we have a winner! The winning design features a stunning blend of modern and vintage elements, with a unique color palette that truly stands out. We're diving deeper into the story behind the design and learning more about the talented designer who brought this vision to life.
Who is Am1gen? Tell us a bit more about yourself
My name is Clément Le Bouc, I'm working as a professional freelance 3D artist and graphic designer (known as "Eighty Five"), based in Paris, France, and passionated about sneakers in my spare time. As a kid, the only pair of Air Max I had, was an Air Max BW "Cargo Khaki", that my mother gave to me for Christmas. She had hidden it for months, but I had found the hiding place and I would open the box quietly when she wasn't at home, a thrilling feeling! Later, I remember that the hype around the Staple Dunk Low "Pigeon" had a huge impact on me and introduce me to the world of sneakers design. But the real game-changer was the frustration with the lack of choice on Nike ID (later Nike By You) and discovering the world of bespoke and famous creators like the NikeLAB Bespoke, Shoe Surgeon, VIJZ Bespokes or Margiello, just to name a few. I started making designs / mockups for fun in 2018. Then from 2021 to 2023, starting during the pandemic, I learned to make my first homemade Air Max 1 bespoke by watching a lot of reels on Instagram. That was the perfect time for me to practice mockups and push my skills to the next level, as the retail sneakers game had become boring to me.
How did you make the mockup? Tell us about the combination of AI & Photoshop
In parallel, I started experimenting with Midjourney in combination with Photoshop. AI opens up a wide range of possibilities for me. I use it primarily as a starting point for inspiration and brainstorming. Iteration after iteration, it pushes my creativity to new horizons that I might not have reached on my own. I spend a lot of time in Photoshop, modifying and refining the designs until I feel they’ve reached something interesting. In August 2023, I decided to create an Instagram page (@am1gen) to share my best designs and colorways. I used the following prompt to start my idea.
"Air Max 1 with additional pockets and items inspired by survivor theme, additional survival pockets, black and white rope lace, cordura fabric and shiny chrome fabric and survival fabrics, saturated colors, professional complementary cream and brown and beige and a hint of red or orange color scheme, plain white background, soft shadows, —v 6.0 —ar 5:4”
How did you come up with the survivor concept? What was your inspiration?
When VIJZ Bespokes opened their 10th anniversary competition, I knew I wanted to create something through this process. I first started using ChatGPT to iterate on some sneakers concepts based on various pop culture themes, but I wasn’t satisfied with the direction it was taking. I recalled advices from VIJZ about the importance of storytelling, and realized that this was the best way to drive the concept.So, I decided to work around a theme that deeply inspires me: the sea word. I always loved survival stories, like "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks or documentaries about people who have survived tragic accidents. I made about fifty iterations of Midjourney images of a side view of an Air Max 1 as a base for reflection, and make a selection until I found one that got something promising. Then started the real creative process : I imported it into Photoshop, removed the flawed areas, recreated new yokes, changed colors, swapped materials, and added details. I also transposed the design in Photoshop to different perspectives (top view and back view), and added additional details, materials, and moodboard informations to better convey the concept.
Can you tell me more about the materials that have been used?
The materials plays a major key of the design. In fact, I believe that materials drive so much emotional reactions as it bring us back to sensitive memory of our past and tell a story by themselves.
I tried to incorporate water-resistant materials from the marine universe, as wax coat, oil cloth, nylon or leather, and in the same time some comfy and cozy materials, like polar fleece or orange quilted nylon (similar to inside bombers jackets). That two last examples take me back to the feeling of being protected from the cold or rain in my polar jacket or my bombers jacket. The goal of this design was also to upcycle materials (like the polar fleece out of a fleece jacket) to get closer to the recycling mode of survivors
Why & what details did you incorporate into the design?
Details are like spice, it push any cooked meal to the next level. I started writing a list of ideas that came to my mind (ideas can quickly fade away). Some didn't make the cut, but at the end of the day, some of them worked.
The first detail I added was an embroidery compass logo on the heeltab. That's the main tool for finding our way in the ocean (Plus it recalls the helm of a boat). Then I added a second embroidery fish skeleton logo on the tongue label. That reminds us of the sacrifice of these animals when it comes to our own survival. I used to draw dead fish like that when I was young. The first layer of rope laces looks like fisherman ropes, so I kept it from Midjourney. I wanted to add a second layer of rope laces with a cord lock system to make it looks like boat cloth style. I also used the S.O.S signal on the toebox, that reminds of the universal signal send by the survivors. I have completed the design with a constellation printed on the insole. That's a reminder that it can help us find our way in the darkness. The last details I put right at the end was the yellow and sand color zig-zag stitches to give a sense of repaired and recycled item. That's what survivors make, they recycle their broken stuff. And a must-have, the sand color mini swoosh on the mudguard: that simply represents for me a premium rank Air Max 1!
What can you tell about the colors of the concept?
Before any AI work, I knew I wanted a colorway with bright orange and a hint of yellow, similar to survival life rafts. I drived Midjourney to reach that color palette, indicating which colors I wanted it to mix with. What's interesting to me is when the colors refer to the storytelling : bright orange wax coat (life rafts), brown old leather (distressed boat wood), sail oil cloth canvas (boat sails), black leather (darkness of the night), light copper collar (rust), cream speckled midsole (beach sand)...and so on.
I must point out that sometimes I realized after the fact that an element fit the storytelling, like the rust color or the sand color. I guess I left them in unconsciously, because I felt it brought something interesting, and I didn't have the perspective to analyze them at the time.
What is your most favorite detail of this concept?
One detail is really special to me, that's the "hidden" S.O.S signal embossed (or perforated) on the toebox. That's subtle, but I like the fact that you could have to look twice to catch the meaning of that detail.
Stay tuned for the results…
