In 1981, Tinker Hatfield was a corporate architect who designed buildings for Nike. By 1987, he had switched to shoes and created some of the brand’s most iconic styles. The most famous of these shoe designs was the Air Max 1, which later led to the Air Jordan series.
What inspired an architect to make such a career change? The secret to Hatfield’s success was a building he’d seen in France. In 1977, the Pompidou Centre in Paris was revealed to the public for the first time. The building was meant to appear transparent with all ductwork, plumbing, and electrical conduits on the outside of the building. This “inside out” design choice inspired the visible air bubble on the Air Max 1. The inner workings of the shoe were directly visible through a “window” near the sole.
But what inspired the Pompidou Centre to pursue such a bold design choice? Wristwatches. More specifically, the Accutron Spaceview. Introduced in 1961, the Accutron Spaceview let customers see the inner workings of the first fully electronic watch for the first time. Letting customers peek into the magic of their favorite products proved popular across mediums. True inventors take inspiration from any possible source.
