Interview with Jason Petrie, designer of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII

Jason Petrie grew up in Charlotte, NC, always sketching and doodling as a kid. He started drawing shoes in 7th grade science class, after seeing his first pair of Nike Air Trainer 3s. From that moment he knew he wanted to design shoes for Nike and he has been dreaming up shoes in one form or another ever since. He sold his GI Joe collection to buy his first pair of Nikes that summer and he is still hunting down the right shoe to fill a slot in his collection. After high school he moved to Raleigh, NC to attend North Carolina State University. Jason studied textile technology and industrial design, graduating in 1998. In 2000-2001 while in the graduate ID program at NC State he began posting renderings of his designs online at niketalk.com. He used the online forums to gather feedback and improve his skill level. From those posts he was hired at Fila in Montebelluna, Italy. He jumped at the chance to move to Europe and design shoes for an international brand. He spent a little more than 2 years with Fila working in Italy and Boston, before fulfilling his dream and coming to Nike to create shoes for Nike Basketball in 2003. Jason fondly remembers his first day at Nike. Favorite memories include meeting designers he had revered for years, staring at crazy samples, and seeing the Nike campus for the first time. As part of the Nike Basketball design team, Jason has worked on the Air Max STAT 1, Zoom Sharkley, Zoom FP, Zoom Flightclub, Zoom Alpholution, Huarache 08, Flight Windmi