Client:
STACY ADAMS
Year:
2020-2021
Role:
Industrial Design, Brand Strategy, CMF Design
Respecting brand legacy while exploring new directions.
During my time at Weyco Group, the parent company of Stacy Adams, Florsheim, and Nunn Bush, I had the opportunity to contribute to a brand deeply rooted in heritage. While my contributions were spread across the three brands, my role focused on supporting the evolution of Stacy Adams by balancing tradition with innovation in two key areas:
Footwear Design: Collaborated on eight unique styles to address diverse consumer needs, from formal leather sandals to sporty sneakers.
CMF Strategy: Helped define the FW21 and SS22 seasonal palettes, ensuring Stacy Adams’ products worked cohesively across footwear, apparel, and accessories.
Stacy Adams has a storied identity, defined by boldness, polish, and a flair for the formal. When I joined the design team at Weyco Group, my challenge wasn’t to abandon that legacy, but to translate it. With the rise of elevated outdoor aesthetics and sport-influenced streetwear, we saw an opportunity to evolve the Stacy Adams silhouette, preserving its material richness and visual presence while folding in cues from contemporary sport trainers, sandals, and mules.
These were shoes built to move; between contexts, between wardrobes, and between the old and new Stacy Adams.
Defining what customers want, building what they don’t expect.
Before diving into sketches, I took time to understand what was already working across the market. That included dissecting competitor shoes, reviewing trend reports, and sitting in on internal strategy meetings. What came through clearly was a desire to shift into casual territory without losing the richness and detail that defines the brand.
Market Insights: Conducted personal market research and analyzed third-party sales data to identify trends in colors, materials, and styles.
Competitive Analysis: Sourced and dissected competitor products, exploring manufacturing processes and material choices to inform design details.
Team Collaboration: Worked closely with marketing, sales, and licensing teams to align designs and CMF palettes with brand goals and consumer expectations.
Our goal was to blend bold, fashion-forward statements with the classic elegance Stacy Adams is known for.
The design targets reflected that duality. I focused on versatile silhouettes, clear material breaks, and forms that could stretch across lounge, leisure, and streetwear categories. Every concept needed to thread the needle between commercial need and visual identity, filling gaps in the line while expanding what Stacy Adams could be. This foundation ensured every design choice felt intentional—resonating with existing customers while sparking curiosity among new ones.
Explore, iterate, refine.
The footwear design process was equal parts creative exploration and pragmatic problem-solving.
From sketches to selections:
Each design began with broad sketch explorations.
The cross-strap sandal balanced formal leather elements with Stacy Adams’ proprietary monogram canvas.
The two-strap sandal brought a sporty edge, blending performance cues with refined leather details.
Slip-on casual: Designed with a flexible upper and minimal structure. Four uppers advanced to the spec phase, with several later adapted to new sole groups.
Fisherman hybrid: Started with sandal traits, but pivoted toward a more trainer-like form. One final concept moved forward after rounds of iteration.
Mesh trainer: Progressed into the sampling stage with a caged lacing structure.
Concepts were shared in reviews with executives, marketing, and sales teams, where feedback refined details like proportions, materials, and finishes. Out of dozens of initial ideas, several designs advanced to sample production with minimal revisions, a testament to the strength of early collaboration.
From specs to samples:
Using Adobe Illustrator, I created detailed tech packs that outlined dimensions, materials, and construction details for factories in China and Italy, maintaining communication with vendors throughout the process.
These drawings guided sample production, which underwent iterative refinements to ensure every detail aligned with Stacy Adams’ standards.
Defining palettes that connected product to brand.
Early on, I was asked to define the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2021 palette. This work supported not just footwear, but Stacy Adams’ full apparel program - licensed shirting, suiting, socks, and seasonal marketing in publications like GQ and Esquire.
The palette came out of cross-referencing internal sales data, broader market trend research, and creative briefs from brand partners. I compiled and presented the final direction as a short animated video to Weyco leadership, helping align footwear and apparel teams on tone and direction. Those color decisions had downstream impact, showing up in leather selections, sole accents, and stitch detailing. It helped ensure that even the sportier silhouettes still felt connected to the core brand.
FW21 Palette: Focused on warm, rich tones like burnt sienna and brunette, paired with textured materials such as tumbled leather and brushed suede for a classic, autumnal feel.
SS22 Palette: Introduced vibrant hues like cobalt blue and saffron, complemented by neutral tones and lightweight materials like mesh and woven leather for a modern, summer-ready look.
The palettes were presented via animated videos that helped marketing, sales, and licensing teams align on a cohesive vision for the seasons.
Challenges, adjustments, and lessons.
Nothing moved through untouched. Some concepts were reassigned to different soles, others dropped due to pricing or merchandising concerns. I learned how to roll with the process and not get too precious with any one idea.
The back-and-forth with development taught me the importance of clear documentation. Spec sheets needed to be tight enough for factories in China or Italy to interpret with limited context. That meant improving both my Illustrator workflow and my understanding of what details truly matter in the handoff.
Every project comes with its own set of challenges, and this one was no different:
Balancing tradition with modernity: Maintaining Stacy Adams’ timeless appeal while incorporating fresh ideas for new demographics was a recurring theme in both design and CMF work.
Cross-continental collaboration: Working with overseas manufacturing teams highlighted the need for clear communication and adaptability in the design-for-manufacture process.
Time pressures: Overlapping timelines for FW21 and SS22 required considered prioritization and coordination with the team.
Thanks to a collaborative environment and iterative processes, these challenges became opportunities to grow and contribute in meaningful ways.
Supporting the brand’s vision, one detail at a time
My time at Weyco Group was defined by a dual commitment to creativity and precision. From sketching the first lines of a design to finalizing seasonal palettes, I contributed to products that honored tradition while pushing boundaries. The experience deepened my understanding of industrial design in a commercial context, where every decision impacts brand identity and consumer perception.
Footwear styles that pushed Stacy Adams into new spaces - athleisure, casual comfort, and beyond, while retaining the brand’s DNA.
Seasonal CMF strategies that created a unified aesthetic, connecting footwear with apparel and accessories for a seamless customer experience.
Processes that streamlined design-to-production workflows, ensuring precision at every step.
This journey reinforced the value of collaboration, adaptability, and attention to detail, skills I carry forward into every design challenge. Each design was shaped with different stakeholders in mind, and the final silhouettes were tailored to serve a broader strategy.
For WEYCO:
Filled emerging category gaps with clear briefs and spec-ready concepts
Created documentation that smoothed handoff to overseas development
Added versatile, commercial options to the seasonal line plan
For Stacy Adams:
Extended the brand’s range without compromising its identity
Balanced new trends with proven material and styling choices
Reinforced seasonal marketing through aligned footwear design
For the User:
Delivered slip-on comfort, breathable materials, and real-world wearability
Offered expressive style without sacrificing everyday versatility
Made Stacy Adams feel more accessible, without diluting its voice
