Crocs just hired Steven Smith as the mastermind behind its next clogs. According to a report this morning from Footwear News , Smith, who formerly led design at Yeezy after designing for Adidas, Nike, Reebok, and New Balance, will join the company on December 2 as head of creative innovation. In a statement, Smith shared that he has “a penchant for taking design to new places,” which will be key in his new role.
“There is incredible potential to explore new forms and functionalities across [Croc’s] iconic product portfolio and continue pushing boundaries through innovation,” Smith said. Smith, who arguably saved Crocs by bringing the cushy clog silhouette back into fashion, has an impressive—and storied—history as a designer in the footwear space. In 1988, he designed the New Balance 574.
The following year, he was the brains behind the New Balance 550 and 1500 , each of which have enjoyed recent resurgences in a pop culture zeitgeist increasingly obsessed with the chunky “dad shoe.” Smith is also responsible for iconic silhouettes including the Reebok Instapump Fury, Nike Air Zoom Spiridon Caged 2, and the Fila Grant Hill. | Smith’s experimental, innovative approach to sneaker silhouettes made him the perfect partner for Kanye West’s (now known as Ye) sneaker brand Yeezy, where Smith worked for eight years, beginning in 2016.
Together, the duo helped introduce half a dozen iconic models and set the tone for other major players in the sneaker industry. S.