Young skater hits the jackpot with shoe design

By SONIA ROBINSON*

An innovative design for skateboarding shoes came about because 24-year-old Dion Christie got sick of his own shoes falling apart.

His design for skateboarding shoes with detachable outer shells won him the top award in a product design competition last night, as part of the ignite2001 festival in Auckland.

Christie says the prize of a return trip to the UK, $3000 in travelling expenses and the opportunity to meet some of the top designers in the UK, will be a great opportunity for him to get a start in the industry

"It'll definitely help me gain experience, to know the real world out there and give it a go."

The two other finalists were Keiji Takeuchi who designed a boob-shaped baby's bottle made of silicone – "simple and smooth, flexible and playful" - and Andrew Malloy who created a "touch watch" for the visually impaired.

Peter Haythornthwaite, president of the Design Institute of New Zealand and also one of the award judges says the final decision was based not only on the concept of the design but also how Christie would benefit from the prize.

"We had to decide who was going to grow and gain the most from this, who would develop and benefit. They had to demonstrate raw talent, not just be able to design something that looked good."

Those eligible for the award were recent graduate students, those who have been in the industry less than five years, or those who are starting out in design by themselves.

"We were looking for an innovative person with the ability to create a whole product system, develop a strategy with market potential, and be a design entrepreneur," said Haythornthwaite.

* The author is a journalism student at Auckland University of Technology.

Feature: ignite2001 festival

ignite2001 official website