An Unforgettable Canvas: The Making of the Air Jordan XX Doernbecher Freestyle
- October 18, 2024
A graphic image takes on new life in the hands of Mark Smith. The power of pictures takes the retired VP of Special Projects in Nike Innovation and longtime Jordan collaborator back to 2005, when he was briefed on an important milestone to the Jordan signature line: the Air Jordan XX, a shoe that would pull out all the stops in honoring 20 years since the debut of the AJ I. The key feature of the shoe would be midfoot straps laser engraved with an unprecedented collage of images from MJ’s career. Smith would later describe these details as a living tapestry, a purposefully designed mosaic of images. The graphic had to somehow contain an entire life story within its borders, rendered with the precision that only one tool could then provide.
“At the time we designed the AJ XX, I couldn’t believe the exact detail we could achieve through laser engraving,” says Smith. “I was exploring single pulses with the laser, and comparing the precision to what I could do with the tip of my sharpest pen. The laser tools were going beyond what we could produce with the human hand.”
Released in 2005, the Air Jordan XX included over 200 icons, creating a tapestry of stories connected to MJ's unparalleled life and career.
On the outsole, the 20 herringbone pods recognized the 20 years since the debut of the AJ I.
Smith’s remarkably detailed, laser-engraved graphics helped produce some of the most milestone-worthy shoe releases from the original Nike laser launch in 2003 and across the two brands, like the AJ IV Laser, “tattooed” Air Force 1s, and of course, the AJ XX.
This time, the silhouette is packed with more meaning on the occasion of Doernbecher Freestyle’s 20th anniversary: a limited-edition AJ XX with newly created iconography on the midfoot straps that celebrates the 122 patient-designers who’ve participated in the program since it began.
"When it hit me that Freestyle could potentially change a child’s life for the better, that’s when I became deeply emotionally entangled.”
Mark Smith, Retired Nike and Jordan Brand Designer
Smith is no stranger to Freestyle, which grants six patient-designers at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon the opportunity to design their own Nike shoes. In 2006, he teamed up with other Nike colleagues to manifest patient-designer Lance Dillon's vision for a tattoo-inspired Nike Dunk Low. Dillon, a shy 17-year-old, had been diagnosed with leukemia. (“The first time I met Lance, I held it together through the meeting,” says Smith. “Then I went home and bawled my eyes out. This was the coolest, most important thing I could be involved in.”) Smith would design a special Air Max 90 for Freestyle’s 5th anniversary back in ‘08 as well as two other patient-designed sneakers, in addition to a commemorative AJ XII in 2015.
“Sneakers have always been connected to storytelling for me,” says Smith, “but when it hit me that Freestyle could potentially change a child’s life for the better, that’s when I became deeply emotionally entangled.”
Mark was approached by friends at OHSU Foundation (OHSUF) to support the 20th anniversary of Doernbecher Freestyle once more. These conversations brought back memories of another silhouette that made magic with the number 20, which then kicked off a partnership between Mark, the OHSUF and NIKE, Inc. to transform the stories from Freestyle’s decades-long history into one stunning visual.
Understanding which icons, images, and emblems to use in the two-strap collage was the earliest challenge, says Smith. He brainstormed over video calls alongside key figures of the program, like Freestyle Founder and Doernbecher Philanthropy Board Life Member Michael Doherty, his son Connor who helped conceive of the program, OHSUF Board Chair Kelly Schrader and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Dana Braner.
They discussed orienting details like first names, last names, doctors, dates and more. But design needs to work within parameters, and there simply wasn’t enough room for all those elements to be arranged in such a specific order. Smith had to take a different, more fluid approach.
“I went back to the original graphic on the AJ XX,” says Smith. “With the living tapestry for MJ, we wanted the assortment to feel almost like a dream state, when you lose a sense of chronological order and are transported down a path of key memories. There’s no start or finish. You navigate it on a personal level.”
The one constant would be each child’s initials engraved somewhere on the straps. Soon, the icons practically found themselves: the names of two OHSU therapy dogs, Davis and Casey. Popsicles, which are one of the few foods that children can eat after surgery. The famous aerial tram across the Willamette waterfront that overlooks the hospital. Just a few of the many icons added to the tapestry.
A perfectionist at heart, Smith kept early mockups close to the vest. He created a dozen versions featuring different layouts, typefaces and scales. The responsibility inherent to the project — to sufficiently represent the spirit of each patient designer within a constellation of other personal stories, full of hope and triumph — is energizing to Smith, and it reminds him why he loves what he does.
“When I create these living tapestries, I’m working on behalf of people to materialize their stories. Doernbecher patients, athletes, celebrities, the responsibility is the same: I’m in service of their stories,” says Smith. “I have to hear their stories and act almost like a satellite, pulling in the visuals that are both essential to the subject and that will be recognizable to a broader audience. Striking that fine balance is very important to me. In the end, it’s not about me at all.”
“I’m working on behalf of people to materialize their stories. Doernbecher patients, athletes, celebrities, the responsibility is the same: I’m in service of their stories."
Mark Smith, Retired Nike and Jordan Brand Designer
The final result, a stunning collage engraved onto the midfoot straps, will appear on each of the 20 pairs of the AJ XX set to be auctioned on the Sotheby’s site. Each pair is accompanied by apparel and a matching laser-engraved wooden box, all featuring the same Doernbecher iconography from the shoes. The auctions run from October 21 at 9:00 a.m. PT to October 30 at 9:00 a.m. PT. The best part? All proceeds benefit OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
And yet, in spite of the high price each pair is sure to fetch, for Nike employees who volunteer their time and talent freely, the money raised is still no measure of the program’s true value.
“Shoes transform into something else with Freestyle,” says Smith. “I don’t know how to describe it. The moment a child sees a vision for their own shoe become a real object, they’re instantly transported from the uncertainty of their situation into the literal healing energy of creativity.” He continues after a pause, “It’s not ironic that the base of the shoe is called the sole, and it’s the one piece that touches the earth.”
More information can be found at sothebys.com/DB20