A Conversation with Jason Mayden
Posted by Matt Halfhill | Mar 13, 2009
Nice Kicks caught up with Jordan Brand Senior Footwear Designer Jason Mayden, designer of both the Air Jordan 2009 and the Jordan CP3.II, to this Chicago native what it was like designing the flagship Air Jordan shoe as well as the Chris Paul line among other things. Find out what lent inspirtation for the new CP3.II and what keeps this busy man going.
Click here to read our conversation with Jason Mayden.
How did you find out that you would be taking on the Air Jordan flagship model?
Jason Mayden - Jordan Brand: The day started just like any other day, but D’Wayne [Edwards] calls me into his office towards the end of the day and shuts the door and sits me down and starts asking me a few questions. D’Wayne is a pretty quiet guy, so when he starts talking, you start to wonder if you are in trouble. He said that he liked what I was doing and wanted to see if I was interested in doing what I dreamed about which was designing an Air Jordan. At first I thought that he was joking. I thought that this couldn’t be real, but then he confirmed to me that it was. I found out about this just before Christmas in 2007 so I started working on concepts and designs over the break and in early 2008.
You weren’t going to say ‘no’ to working on that project?
Jason Mayden: [laughs] No, no, no. I don’t care if they asked me just to design the outsole, I would still say yes.
What was your reaction like when you heard that you would be designing the Air Jordan 2009?
Jason Mayden: It was a combination of relief that I was finally able to live my dream, but at the same time, that relief went away instantly and felt, “ok, now I have to get to work.” I felt the pressure of needing to live up to standards set by the previous people who designed the shoe.
Shifting gears towards Chris Paul, when did you first get the chance to meet Chris?
Jason Mayden: I first met Chris in early 2006 when he was just about to come over to Jordan Brand from Nike and so there were a bunch of presentations going on and people were trying to get to know who Chris Paul really was as a person and an athlete and how he fit into the overall structure of the brand. I had the fortune of working with Micha Cooper who formally worked with Chris at Nike Basketball and she gave me the heads up on how he was as a person and how he was as a family member because he always travels with his family. So I kind of knew going in that we had some of the similar values. A majority of the people in Jordan Brand have the same family values so we get along with Chris great. The first time I met him was actually the first time that I got to present to him and show him some initial kinds of concepts of what his first shoe could be and we sat down with his mom and dad there, his brother and business manager CJ, and I showed him a pictorial book of my life from when I was a kid in Chicago growing up to getting in Jordan Brand. I wanted to show to him that my family was just as important with me as it was to him and from that moment forward, we just hit it off and to this day we continue to have a great dialogue.
What do you think Chris brings to Jordan Brand that sets him apart from his peers in the league?
Jason Mayden: Chris is the soul of the brand. He is the guy that people counted out because of his size, but he has the willingness to try and push himself forward. He’s grounded, down to earth, and reminds us of that Hometown Hero. The whole idea of dreaming bigger things while shooting a jumpshot in your driveway - that’s Chris. I would say that Chris is simply that youthful childhood ambition of hitting the game winning shot brought to life.
For the first Jordan CP3 you probably had to work on some designs and concepts before working with Chris.
Jason Mayden: Yes.
How was the process different for the Jordan CP3.II from the original CP3?
Jason Mayden: Well the original CP3, alot of it was research based. It was almost like I had to study a subject that I didn’t have a personal connection with, so I had to study him very objectively. I broke his life down to the struggle of New Orleans. At the time we were still in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and there was alot of emotions that were flying high around the city while it was being rebuilt. So one of the things that I wanted to do was to tell a story of New Orleans that the average consumer might not know about. Everybody knows about Mardi Gras, but few knew about the Mardi Gras Indians and what the history of that meant to the city of New Orleans. So I wanted to take a soulful approach with that one and tie that back to Chris’ story and where he came from in Winston-Salem and his granddad and all of the things that he had to overcome as a person.
Going into the CP3.II, the first time we sat down to discuss this shoe we were actually in Phoenix when they were playing the Suns. In his hotel room was Chris, his trainer, equipment manager from the Hornets, and a few team members of the Hornets and this conversation was totally different because we just started talking about the sneaker industry. Chris is a huge sneaker fan. He’s always looking at Nice Kicks and other sites and we just talked about the industry and where he wanted to take his shoe. How he wanted to ‘zig’ when everyone else ‘zags’ and when he said that comment, it reminded me so much of how MJ thinks. From the onset of this project, Chris was aware of what the industry was doing. The athletes usually see each other’s shoes way before the consumers do, so he knew what Kobe was doing, he knew what LeBron was doing, and he wanted to go in a totally different direction, but at the same time he still understands that this is a business and that our shoes have to be stable and compliment, not compete with other Nike, Inc. products.   So he was very adamant about doing something different, something fun and fresh, and really attacking a youth angle because he studies the game and industry just as much as he knows the basketball game.
What sort of research do you do so that it has custom performance features made for Chris?
Jason Mayden: We go to the Nike Sports Research Lab and look at high speed video of how people cut in the shoe. We have a lot of great testers who play Division 1 basketball, so they may not be Chris Paul level, but they are definitely better than average. We look at how they cut in the video. Also look at game footage of Chris and how he plays the game. We also look at game worn shoes that Chris has beat up and we see where they are wearing out and where they are breaking down. So our research is a combination of controlled testing in the lab environment and then completely random testing in the NBA environment where you don’t know what is going to happen in a game at any given moment. So coming out of the first CP3 we knew that there were certain things going on in the midfoot area that we wanted to eliminate with the shank. So we wanted to sculpt it up alot more and ease the heel to toe transition to make it faster.
What kind of challenges does it create to make a shoe that is for Chris Paul, but is one that works for the average consumer?
Jason Mayden: Overall I think its pretty easy because Chris isn’t an abnormally tall or big person. He’s not 6-10, 220 lbs. Chris is an average height guy who just has phenomenal athletic abilities. When we design our shoes for Chris, we design it for the everyday athlete - Chris just uses them in a different way. Anyone could drive a Ferrari, but there are only certain people that know how to drive a Ferrari the way that it’s meant to be driven. We design our shoes like Ferraris and its up to the person wearing the shoes to activate and utilize the technologies that are in the shoes.
Was Chris very active with the design and development of the CP3.II?
Jason Mayden: Extremely active. I actually set up Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop on his computer for him so he was sending me color combinations, ideas on the height of the shoe and different materials to use. He was extremely involved in the design process. We were in contact at least every couple of weeks whether it was through text messages or email. The two of us really have a great dialogue. Even if he has 100% of his time focussed on basketball, he will send a few questions through his brother CJ and we will communicate that way. But we are always emailing or texting back and forth what we can do to improve his shoes.
The CP3.II has an interesting inspiration from the game of Futsal. How did that sport inspire the shoes?
Jason Mayden: One of the things we wanted to do going into 2009 was to shift the paradigm of what a basketball shoe can be. We looked at different sports that use footwork as an emphasis for defense for the Air Jordan 2009. Already being in that mindset of comparing and contrasting two different worlds and finding that intersection between both of those, I wanted to look at a game that was more fast paced than basketball. That was more technical, that required more skill to perform. The way that Chris moves on the court is very much like a motorcycle amongst cars, so it’s really hard to compare him to other basketball athletes - he’s not like the rest of them. So I looked at the game of Futsal which is 5 on 5 indoor soccer that uses a smaller ball and is a really fast paced game and the skill level required is that of outdoor basketball. And that’s what they say about Chris, that his style of play is like controlled playground basketball when he’s on the court. So what we did is we identified a person in the world of Futsal who plays the game, has the attitude, his looks, and even his importance of family was thoroughly similar to CP.  The technical aspects of the game are extremely similar to basketball. The game is played with 5 players per side, the footwork needed to play Futsal is the footwork needed to be a dominant point-guard. We looked at how the shoes for Futsal functioned from heel to toe, we looked at the weight, the way the shoes were being supported on the foot, materials that they used to make the shoes lighter and more durable, and how the shoe was constructed. The CP3.II doesn’t look like a Futsal shoe, but the shoe features all of the essentials that go into a pair designed for Futsal.
Something that I noticed immediately on the CP3.II was a new material that went around the ankle. Tell me about this product NuFoam. Has it been used on other Jordan products before? And what does the pattern represent?
Jason Mayden: We have used similar versions of NuFoam, but not this technical version of it. It has been used on ankle sleeves and compression products, but this particular one was strategically designed for CP to be lightweight, breathable, and structural.  Alot of those properties are not as important when it is used to make an arm sleeve or ankle sleeve, but when it was built into the upper of the shoe, it had to be specifically engineered to function to Chris’ standards.
The pattern of the NuFoam is made to represent a chain-link fence tying back to outdoor basketball and Futsal. Both sports are professionally played indoors, but are very often played outside on a court surrounded by a chain-link fence.
You now have two major projects to take care of with the Chris Paul line as well as the Air Jordan line. What keeps you going?
Jason Mayden: You know, what keeps me going is that there are kids out there that are going to give up on their dreams before they even realize it and if they could see someone who is living their dream, doing a good job, doing it the right way, it might inspire them to continue on whatever it is that they set out to do. Whether it be a shoe designer, doctor, lawyer, politician, or elementary school teacher, they need an example outside of entertainers and athletes. Myself, Reggie Saunders, Dale Allen, Terri Hines, always want kids to know that you don’t have to always be the person in front of the camera to live a good life. You can be happy and do the things you want to do and definitely be a good person.  So giving back and letting kids know they can achieve what ever they want to do is what keeps me going.
Mar 21, 2009 at 5:12 pm
And what’s inspirtation? =P
Mar 21, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Is it just me or does the first sentence make no sense?
As for the interview, this is what keeps me checking in on Nice Kicks. Great job!
Mar 18, 2009 at 4:36 pm
idk wtf everybody’s problem is on here cuz i love the fusions especially the low 9’s comin out and the 4’s them $hitz iz fire. the 2009’s r fire 2 the only problem is the $190 price, yeah that may be 2 much but hey u gotta pay for quality
Mar 16, 2009 at 7:00 pm
cool
Mar 16, 2009 at 6:30 pm
The CP3.II’s are garbage anyway you look at it…give me all the technology you want but the shoe sucks donkey balls from a design perspective, we KNOW you are inspired by New Orleans and Mardi Gras and what not, but jeez, don’t try to cram all your inspirations on the shoe. It’s one helluva an awkward design, sleek is the last word i’ll used to describe it. JB, please disown this guy and get another designer ASAP, it’s for your own good.
Mar 16, 2009 at 3:59 pm
if jorda was to wear the shoes this guy created.. i bet yall would be rockin them too… much props.. remember that envy is one of the 7 deadly sins…. the 21’s we one of my fav ballin shoes… yall should try them out!!!!
Mar 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm
this dude will never come close to anything tink has ever done
Mar 16, 2009 at 9:15 am
man there is alot of hate in this section. get off the his back… its alot to live up to when you talk about tinker and second it seems like none of you fools is willing to accept any new jordan design regardless of if its good or not. you are right on one thing they are way to expensive for such an unattractive shoe, but if that is the only reason you are looking at them they weren’t meant for you to begin with. the shoe is a technological monster that deserves every penny spent on it. not a one of us has any real vision of what the jordan brand should be other then some bull$hit retro company and its getting to be annoying that no one on here except for a few are interested in where the brand could go with a few more years of experimenting. lets just see what happens for once. cp3.ii is a cool looking shoe and i’m going to cop… jordan 2009, sorry but its not for me.
Mar 16, 2009 at 12:31 am
Some people in this world…SMH…they just won’t understand…I had the pleasure of meeting him and he is a stand up guy who is very talented. Ask anyone at Nike and you will hear the same thing.
Mar 15, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Yo u guys are way over reacting 2009s are def not the worst shoes out there……. just the most unreasonably priced……
Mar 15, 2009 at 11:08 pm
#43,
Man, you must be trippin’! Of course it matters if we like them or not. Do you buy what you don’t like? Wow, you are not making sense… do you mind repeating yourself??? And this time think before you type!
Mar 15, 2009 at 10:23 pm
and also, jb players wear them. like allen and j johnson and they both liked them. so it really doesnt matter if u dont like em..
Mar 15, 2009 at 10:21 pm
u guys keep hatin on the 2009’s for all he care. he’ll still be workin on some new concepts. plus, it’s 2009 so the sneaker design evolves too..
Mar 15, 2009 at 9:08 pm
this guy should be fired
they should just stop making Js anyways
and put out retro’s only THE HIGHER THE NUMBER
THE WORST THEY GET
Mar 15, 2009 at 6:30 pm
and one more…
“Why is the Jordan model that you created, is so much more expensive than the one previous model, the XX3?”
Mar 15, 2009 at 6:29 pm
they forgot to ask him another question…
“Why do you think that the Jordan model that you created, is still sitting on store shelves?”
Mar 15, 2009 at 6:24 pm
so he created the 21s and the 22s, huh?
what was so special about those Js? Besides that it carried the Jumpman logo, they were so simple looking, and ok, it had the best shoe technology. But on the outside, too simple.
Tinker’s still the best. He should come back and make more Js!
Mar 15, 2009 at 6:20 pm
here’s my 3 stages…,
a) his designs suck
b) 10-15 years from now, they will still suck
c) if he’s still the designer 15 yrs. from today, it’ll be worse
Mar 15, 2009 at 3:08 pm
he’s the reason why jb brand sucks ever since the 21’s its been all slope sneakers you cant even rock JB like that unless its retro
Mar 15, 2009 at 12:50 pm
lol tinkerfield shoes didnt leave full size runs at the sneaker stores. i dont like his designs point blanks propz to him though achieving his dream but him and the combination of whack retros bein released have turned me off the jordan brand, i mean its march and i havent bought a jordan dis year thus far comeon
Mar 15, 2009 at 4:35 am
@ comment 31
Jordans have always been known for there style & performance. JB won’t last another decade with fatboy at the helm. TRUST!!!
Mar 15, 2009 at 12:55 am
nice post #33 CAliKid
2009’s are nice they just need a good colorway maybe a french blue???
Mar 15, 2009 at 12:31 am
jojo - This guy’s best design can’t even copare with Tinker’s worst.
LMAO at this comment!
All you kids obviously don’t know all the shoes Tinker designed. 10-15 years from now Jason Mayden designed shoes will be the ones you wish you picked up. Props to Jason for making his dreams come true even with all these haters in the world.
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second,
it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.
—Arthur Schopenhauer
Tinker went through the same things…
Mar 14, 2009 at 10:30 pm
get it through your heads its performance first
Mar 14, 2009 at 9:32 pm
They already braught back the fire IV’s dog hate to break it to ya but yur 2 years to late in the shoegame
Mar 14, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Just bring back the Jordan IV (fire)!!!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!
Mar 14, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Jordan Brand get rid of this douche and bring back Tinker Hatfield. Also stop the f’ing fusions and bring back the retros in original colorways. oh yeah Jordan 2009 sneakers look like heels for men.
Mar 14, 2009 at 6:35 pm
and the prices are outrageously expensive…!
someone needs to give him a reality check on our economy crisis!
Mar 14, 2009 at 6:33 pm
he’s a terrible shoe designer for JB… ’nuff said!
Mar 14, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Heres a easy solution to all our Jordan Problems…… Stop buying the garbage they put out!!! If every one hates the fusions so much stop buying them.Everybody hates the 2009’s and yet some sizes are hard to find. I think this site has become a place for all of us to hate on shoes and we forget to appreciate some of the strides that the shoe game has taken.
Mar 14, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Every single Jordan released is for basketball purposes. It is not a street wear shoe. Yes; JB is always looking into new styles and designs, but however were more focused about court performance. How they look with jeans on is not a factor.
Mar 14, 2009 at 4:03 pm
yo 17 did you cry wen u wrote that… dude relax their just shoes no one is forcing u to by them… im a sneakerhead to but i dont cry wenever a bad shoe is released!!!
Mar 14, 2009 at 3:59 pm
has anybody ever seen somebody rocking the 2009’s?
Mar 14, 2009 at 3:31 pm
choke on a knife you JB killer
Mar 14, 2009 at 3:06 pm
His designs do suck donkey balls.
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:36 pm
STOP HATIN ON THE GUY.
IF YOU THINK HIS SHOES ARE BAD, YOU TRY AND MAKE A SHOE THAT MR.PAUL CAN WEAR.
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:10 pm
^^^^^^SHUT UP UP DUDE!!!!!!!
UR A DOUCHE BAG TOO LIKE JAYSON M.
Mar 14, 2009 at 9:53 am
man am i the only one who thinks that all the air force jordans are a slap in the face to all the avid authentic sneaker heads out there. I mean they have released so many different colors and styles that the whole sneaker market is oversaturated with them. every store i go in they have them on discount after about two weeks cause they dont sell. You can literally get a pair for like 50 bucks in any store. and to make matters worse they go and release the air force jordans in og colorways and that only adds fuel to the fire. i can not believe that they have those colorways when they have never retroed them. i know that business is made to prosper and to make profit but if it aint broke then dont fix it. i am so pissed right now because i see all these people thinking that they have on jordans and they are exclusive when really they have on a hybrid that only devalues all the hours and time dedicated by the real sneaker heads. to all the people who waiting hours and hours in the cold, in the hot sun, in a long line just waiting to get that exclusive pair that only a select few can get. i mean i seen times when i was at college that my mom would send me money and she would tell me that i could either buy food or get the jordans. and of course without hesistation i would wake up early saturday and go jordan shopping. i wish i was on the jordan brand board because i would put a stop to this madness. how u gon release those sneakers with the same og colorways that some of us would spend our whole paycheck on. i been collecting retros since 1999, and i know many of you started way before i did, so i know that you have to feel what im saying. i know that there is typos or what not but i dont care i am just so frustrated with this. if someone from jordan brand happens to read this please contact me with a full explanation of how u can release these horrible sneakers in the og colorways. i guess collecting jordans is a thing of the past but i thought traditions never die. please jordan brand can u just go back to the basics. i dont mind u continuing to make new jordans but leave the og’s alone. dont mess up something that u created and we all love. most of the air force jordans only have the air force sole so really wat is the point of messing up a perfectly good jordan for the sake of a sole? MJ please tell your company to stop production of these shoes. and now you really making it easier for the bootleggers to duplicate the shoes. well i could go on and on about how these shoes are destroying the jordan tradition but i guess i will go for now..until next time
Jordan Blog #1
DJ Kase Klosed
thegrtone7@aol.com
ps. and yes those jordan 2009 look like a jordan 14 knockoff and yes they still have them in all the stores…the jordan brand needs someone young and fresh that knows the history of jordans….not saying myself but somebody anybody….please.lol lol
Mar 14, 2009 at 8:48 am
Nice Kicks, you get deeply-tipped hat for this interview. Great job!
Jason Mayden represents what you can become if you ‘Dream BIG’ and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
I don’t own a pair of CP3s, but I do plan on grabbing a pair in the near future.
As always, Keep your laces tied tightly…your tongue loose & Walk GOOD!
Mar 14, 2009 at 8:08 am
I’m feeling the CP3.II. 2009’s have grown on me. Big ups to Reggie Saunders and the JB crew. When I grow up I wanna be like Reggie!!!
Mar 14, 2009 at 5:53 am
this guy is a great story, and the CP3 is a great shoe.. not a fan of the jordan 09.
Mar 14, 2009 at 3:39 am
i give him credit for trying but his work isnt above average thus far. its sad to see that those 2009 air jordans still have full size runs; sad year for jordan brand. i bought them just to add to the collection
46 more weeks in kuwait
Mar 14, 2009 at 1:36 am
cp3 IIs dont look so good. they are a lot of things going on in d shoe.
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:32 am
This guy’s best design can’t even copare with Tinker’s worst.
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:30 am
BRING BACK TINKER HATFIELD!!!
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:13 am
3 and 4 are retro air jordan flunkies
Mar 14, 2009 at 12:07 am
Good Job.
Mar 13, 2009 at 11:53 pm
3 and 4
you guys dont know what you are saying your a bunch of haters
Mar 13, 2009 at 11:31 pm
what does he use to design?! crayons?! wtf! ftl man! get another design team jb!
Mar 13, 2009 at 11:30 pm
the picture looks like he died or something! his designs suck btw
Mar 13, 2009 at 11:07 pm
DIS GUY IS DOUCHE BAG!!!!!
Mar 13, 2009 at 10:46 pm
This is the guy responsible for the downfall of JB.
Mar 13, 2009 at 10:35 pm
let me be the first to say that as a shoe designer it is hard to be creative in the aspects in making a shoe that everyone likes but able to create a shoe that will be comfortable and flexible and used for what it is made for basketball.
Mar 13, 2009 at 10:34 pm
First