Sean Wotherspoon on Being a Part of a Problem to Find a Solution

Business of HYPE is a weekly series brought to you by HYPEBEAST Radio and hosted by jeffstaple. It’s a show about creatives, brand-builders and entrepreneurs, and the realities behind the dreams they’ve built. In the second episode of a two-part interview, Round Two co-founder and vintage aficionado Sean Wotherspoon details his super-popular Nike collaboration. Sean’s initial foray into Nike began when he was a plus one for a Jordan Brand release party. It was there that he was first connected to the brand, eventually leading him to be considered for the Nike “Vote Forward” contest. With the help of his community, Sean designed the popular Easter-colored corduroy Nike Air Max 1/97, which not only won the competition, but sold out upon release. In this episode, Sean details the apprehension he felt from having no formal design experience, to the joys of working with Nike, to the love/hate relationship he received from the public. He admits that while there were more professional contenders, he believes his “average joe” approach is what attracted people to the shoe. Since then, he’s moved onto other projects, one of many being sustainability. While it may come as a shock that his Nike shoe is fully vegan, he advises us that major companies have been making headway into this space. He says that while he is a part of the problem, “You have to be a part of the problem first, in order to go back and try to solve it.” So tune in to hear part 2 of this episode as Sean spares us