In Part 3 of our exclusive interview with Erin Patton, the original Director of Product and Marketing for Jordan Brand tells us what he thinks about the current Retro driven trend in the footwear industry, the internal discussions within the Nike organization on Retro product, whether Jordan Brand was setup as a lifestyle-centered or performance-oriented brand at the formation of the company, and the key element to the original Jordan Brand business plan.

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In Part 2 of our in-depth interview with Erin Patton, we launch into his journey at Nike, where Patton became the first Director of Product and Marketing for Jordan Brand. He discusses the footwear design process, working with Tinker Hatfield on the Air Jordan XIII, the concept of marrying footwear and apparel divisions, spending time with Michael Jordan, the initial marketing and seeding strategies for launching Air Jordan product to the consumer, and simply, why it’s important to have friends.

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Like the conductor of an orchestra, Erin Patton has been in charge of arranging the proper beat, dynamic, and tempo for numerous brands, most notably as Nike’s lead architect in the creation of the Jordan Brand, in 1997, and directing the launch of Stephon Marbury’s Starbury brand, in 2006. Patton currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Sports Marketing in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, is the Principal of his own brand management firm, and has written a just-released book, Under the Influence: Tracing the Hip-Hop Generation’s Impact on Brands, Sports, & Pop Culture, detailing by first-hand experience the workings of the athletic footwear industry and the inner workings of a marketing mastermind.

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Assignment #1: Design the Air Jordan XXV. (Deadline: July 25th, 2009)

Project Bluefoot: Intelligent Design Competition is a monthly, theme-based competition for aspiring footwear designers to showcase their talent to the athletic footwear industry and the general public at large.

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Official Rules:

- Designers will be judged on 3 primary components: Inspiration (backstory), Sketches, and Final Rendering. One overall Final Rating will be given for each individual design and graded on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lowest and 10 being highest), taking into account the three primary design components holistically.

- 3 graphics/pages may be submitted per designer.

- Each graphic may be maximum 800×600 pixel dimension.

- 10 Finalist Designs will be chosen from all submissions by each month’s Intelligent Design Competition judges and posted to the website for live public voting. At the end of public voting, the Top 3 Finalists with the highest public scores will be graded by a select 3 judge panel to decide each month’s Intelligent Design Competition winner.

- Any attempts to artificially manipulate or inflate ratings will result in automatic suspension from the PBF:ID Competition.

- Prizes to be announced.

- Interested? Register a screen name on our forums and post here.

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