Leon Witherow

About Leon Witherow

I am a ruthlessly passionate footwear designer with a desire to innovate and help shape the future of footwear.I was born with a 2H pencil in my left hand and a copic marker in my right hand. Raised in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, I once had dreams of being a veterinarian but the pen and paper kept calling my name wherever I went. I’ve been shoe-obsessed since i was six years old and began my career with Nike at the Australian HQ.My lifelong goal is to be a footwear innovator and so, armed with a degree in industrial design and a Masters Degree in commercial footwear design, I left Australia to try and fulfill that dream.I am passionate about my work. I think if you love what you are doing then work isn’t just ‘work’ anymore; it becomes a consuming passion. I am pride myself on going against the grain and standing out in a crowd. I am passionate, or obsessed depending on your viewpoint, with footwear and in particular performance and performance-inspired footwear.

Experience

1. Lead Footwear Designer

   耐克

   Jun 2024 — Present · Portland, OR, US

Education

• S.L.E.M Footwear Design Institute

  Master's degree, Footwear Design

  2013 — 2014

• Box Hill Senior Secondary College

  Industrial and Product Design

  2003 — 2005

• RMIT University

  Bachelor's degree, Industrial and Product Design

  2006 — 2009

Skills

• Line Management
• Vector Illustration
• Shoes
• Technical Illustration
• Product Design
• Design Strategy
• Solidworks
• Trend Forecasting
• Graphic Design
• Athletic Footwear
• Product Development
• Color Schemes
• Apparel
• Color Theory
• Illustration
• Photoshop
• Freehand Rendering
• Color Management
• Sportswear
• Sketching
• Rapid Prototyping
• Industrial Design
• Concept Development
• Trend Analysis
• Footwear