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Richard Kuchinsky is The Directive Collective.
Richard Kuchinsky is Principal and…
Richard Kuchinsky is Principal and…
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisEvery year, my clients get 270+ hours of free work. Sorta. As a runner and running shoe designer I’m always “testing”. New prototypes. Competitor styles. Production samples. Easy runs, long runs, intervals, tempo workouts, runs in the rain, on the treadmill, in the snow, in 95% humidity. Runs you can’t evaluate in the lab. It’s not uncommon a box of samples is delivered and I’m out the door for a weartest. This week I had first samples of a new design delivered Monday and factory comments prepped by Thursday. There’s no quicker way to evaluate performance. Period. Is your running shoe designer a runner? They should be. --- I’m the owner of The Directive Collective Collective footwear design consultancy. We make great footwear, not just great sketches. #design #footwear #footweardesign
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Richard Kuchinsky posted thisHow (and why) did hydration packs become female-coded? More and more on my runs, I see women runners with hydration packs, often empty. No matter the distance or hydration needs, it feels like a functional performance product is now a "must have" performative fashion accessory. I've seen countless self-described "run girlie" social media reels talking about the topic. To be clear, I don't care what other people wear (or don't wear) running. I just want to understand it from a cultural, social and performance POV. Guys have the same hydration needs. We often run shirtless in the summer so have even less storage. What's going on? Honest question. #running
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisPrice matters. Performance matters more. Designing and engineering a shoe to fit a price point is an important skill for designers. Understanding the ramification of design decisions on cost shows a designer is fully competent in mastering knowledge of real world constraints (materials, construction, MOQs, etc.) and shoemaking. Not just making pretty pictures. Sometimes however, there's a need to think outside the CBD. Balancing cost inputs doesn't always add up to performance outputs. Knowing when to push the price means not only knowing how shoes are made but how runners pick them. A better midsole foam might cost $2.00 more and $10.00 at retail but can make the difference between a hit and a dud. You can always get a cheaper shoe (a lower model or last season's on sale). You can't always find a better shoe. The right shoe at the wrong price is better than the wrong shoe at the right price. --- I’m the owner of The Directive Collective footwear design consultancy. We make great footwear, not just great sketches. #design #footwear #footweardesign
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisThere's a difference between minimal and simple. Simple just removes complexity. Minimal focuses on the strength of one key idea. The Addict Flow 2 for JOE-NIMBLE is focused on removing the distraction of overly complex upper construction to enhance performance. A bias-woven jacquard upper pattern thoughtfully wraps the foot without seams while subtle gradient printing and new medial branding execution highlights the new anatomical last shape and defining characteristic of the brand. Together with a new outsole on existing midsole tooling with patented Toe Pilot technology inside, the Addict Flow 2 distills the Joe Nimble philosophy for a minimal yet bold effect. See the full process: https://lnkd.in/eaqWs9J6 #design #footweardesign #runningshoes
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisNEW for JOE-NIMBLE Sometimes the simplest solution is the right one. Working with existing tooling, the Trail Addict Flow 2 was conceptualized to distill the Joe Nimble Toe Pilot philosophy and engage the runner in more natural, technical performance. A resolved upper construction minimizes distractions with a single part rip stop nylon upper while protective no-sew TPU overlays enhance durability. Premiering a new branding execution, the medial UV print logo highlights the big toe focus and defining characteristic of the brand. See the full process: https://lnkd.in/eaqWs9J6 --- I’m the owner of The Directive Collective footwear design consultancy. We make great footwear, not just great sketches. #design #footwear #footweardesign
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisNothing is 100% Original. But when does inspiration and innovation cross over to copying? From carbon plates to collar construction, "best in class" often has a tendency like Evolution to converge on similar solutions. Yet, consumers can be fickle. For years, any shoes with beaded ETPU foam were looked at as adidas BOOST knockoffs. Barbed laces are often known as "Alphafly laces". When does it become a legal issue? When does it become a brand perception issue? Does it matter if it works? --- I’m the owner of The Directive Collective footwear design consultancy. We make great footwear, not just great sketches. #design #footwear #footweardesign
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisFast Shoe. Slow Logo? We spend years making running shoes lighter, faster and more innovative. Then we put a logo on the side that some runners have already decided they don't trust. That's Brand Penalty. My latest Insight explores why a logo (and brand) can become a performance liability and how to overcome it. Read the full insight. Link in comments. #design #running #runningshoes
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisChinese running shoes are hot! Here's why. Anti-US global sentiment, price, performance and more are driving consumers to explore new brands, new styles and new technology. 5. "Chinese shoe brands are no longer the “copycat” brands of the past. Now more than ever Chinese brands are investing in design and innovation. With local designers and engineers closer to the innovation pipeline and more integrated throughout the development process, Chinese brands are quicker, more nimble, more risk taking and in many cases further ahead than US and European brands. " Read the Insight: https://lnkd.in/gKxPM8CV Will it make an impact on the running culture? Will legacy brands respond?
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Richard Kuchinsky shared thisIs EVA dead? "A new law goes into effect July 1, 2026 - shoe manufacturers can no longer use the words "max", "plus" or "pro" for any shoe with an EVA midsole. - Jeff Dengate All jokes aside, EVA is an aging technology yet one that some brands seem to be clinging to. While many brands have embraced the next generation of foams (PEBA, TPEE, TPU, OBC, APTU, etc.) promising better energy return, lower density and improved physical properties, others have been slow to adapt. HOKA introduced their first non-EVA shoe as late as 2023! Meanwhile, shoes such as the EVO SL have introduced runners to "premium" foams (TPEE) at lower price points for daily trainers. Does EVA still have a place in modern performance running shoes? Should it? --- I’m the owner of The Directive Collective footwear design consultancy. We make great footwear, not just great sketches. #design #footwear #footweardesign
Richard Kuchinsky replied to a comment
19h
Ana Kristiansson Thanks. I also believe that performance experience always makes an impact. It's not always seen, but you feel it when you need it.
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Richard Kuchinsky liked thisExcellent recap of UTMB from Jonathan Levitt, getting into activations by Rabbit, On, Hoka & Nike. He talks about not only the brand work, but asks why a brand should do event activations in the first place. Particularly during this week in Chamonix, when almost every business is showing up in the exact same way.Richard Kuchinsky liked thisThree questions I'd ask before planning another brand activation, all of them from watching UTMB week in Chamonix: 1. Does the person who showed up leave with something to describe other than the brand? NNormal ran a shakeout run, the most copied format of the week. Theirs stopped along the way to show what all the foot traffic is doing to the trail. Same format as everyone else. Completely different thing. 2. Is the spend doing more than one job, or is it only buying attention? rabbit took over a working hotel by the finish line. Customer space, distributor meetings for a new market, and a week of their CEO Monica DeVreese talking to people who had no idea she runs the company (this was fun to observe as we walked around). 3. Are you doing this because your customer is here, or because your industry is? On came to Chamonix and ran none of it. No clubhouse, no shakeout, nothing on the village floor. Declining the format costs nothing and is available to everyone, which is exactly why almost nobody does it. The reason this matters more than usual: Chamonix's new mayor is moving to shrink the expo and has called out the brand programming that piles on top of the races. 9,000 residents, roughly 100,000 visitors. The question of what justifies your presence isn't just a thought exercise anymore. Wrote the whole thing up, link below. rabbit and Halo are partners of mine, disclosed at the top, along with reasons why.
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Richard Kuchinsky liked thisKype Gravel. Another amazing drop I had the pleasure of working on. This time working with the entire elite team to adjust the design of the Kype Pro to fit the needs of a gravel racer. This included a redesign of the bottom mold, a collaboration with Vitttoria tires to create a new outsole, and a more durable upper that maintained a lightweight feeling while still having enough support to stay stable on uneven terrain. Happy to be a part of the team🙏🏽Richard Kuchinsky liked thisGet an inside look at the new Kype Gravel with Craft Footwear Designer Sam Larson. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gBFJfuqG #KypeGravel #CraftSportswear
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Richard Kuchinsky liked thisTaken my pair out a few times already, and they're fantastic. Would recommend highly — no matter if you're trail running, hiking, fastpacking, or just want to look sick. Can't go wrong.Richard Kuchinsky liked this"Put in the bluntest terms, the Black Diamond x norda 000 is a high-speed alpine powerhouse. It’s also a sign of things to come, from what almost certainly promises to be a continually fruitful partnership between norda and Black Diamond Equipment." - Gear Patrol Read the full article, by Sean Tirman, here: https://lnkd.in/gfmyWVfk The full Black Diamond x norda collection is available now. norda: https://lnkd.in/gkKM3YDT Black Diamond: https://lnkd.in/gYWpfrdw
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Richard Kuchinsky liked thisRichard Kuchinsky liked thisDespite the plethora of options… my Explore feed, and any scene-y running event I seem to attend, is full of Oakley Eye Jackets. Often with a bandana. I am an always-sunglasses-on person in the summer. I’ve had the same pair of white Oakley Radars (like a cop) since junior year of high school. I begged my parents to let me get this pair on eBay. Somehow they’ve made it through 18 years of training, vacations, car rides, and moves. But there are way more running options now than I had in high school, and they go well beyond the Oakleys, Nike wraparounds, and triathlon leftovers we used to have. Kudos to Oakley taking the scene by storm, but I put together a list of like 50 other options that would better suit most people. Or at least won't make you look like you're dressed by the algorithm.
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Richard Kuchinsky liked thisRichard Kuchinsky liked thisA closer look at Project R.A.P (Radical Athlete Perception) and the development of the first ever 3D-printed football boot, custom-made for Cavan Sullivan.
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Canadian outdoor apparel brand Arc'teryx sparked controversy after partnering with Chinese artist Cai Guo-qiang for a fireworks display at 18,000 feet in Tibet's Himalayas as part of a publicity stunt called "the rising dragon." The project immediately triggered environmental concerns and cultural sensitivity criticism. Officials launched an investigation while critics slammed the brand for ignoring Tibet's fragile plateau ecosystem and using sacred landscapes as "mere props." Tibetan writer and activist Tsering Woeser condemned it as "cultural imperialism staged on the Land of Snows," calling the display "arrogant" and leaving "ecological wounds and cultural humiliation." Both Arc'teryx and artist Cai Guo-qiang issued apologies. The company promised to bring in environmental groups to assess damage and accelerate natural protection schemes in Tibet. Cai, famous for his pyrotechnic art, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics fireworks, vowed to help with recovery efforts if authorities find environmental harm.
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