The shoe fits

IU senior Matt Unterfranz and basketball legend Michael Jordan share something in common.

Jordan’s first basketball shoes, the famous red and black Air Jordans, went against the allowable colors of the NBA at a time when most shoes were white. At Andrean High School in Merillville, Ind., where Unterfranz attended, students wore uniforms with shoes that had to be all-white as well. Unterfranz, inspired by his brother who wore shiny black basketball shoes, did not follow the guidelines.

“I’m not an all-white shoes guy,” Unterfranz said. “I was always breaking the shoe policy at school.”

Unterfranz, who is pursuing a degree in apparel merchandising, has a passion for shoes and shoe design and wants to design shoes for Nike someday.

Many people recognize Jordan for his six NBA championships and six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards with the Chicago Bulls, but Unterfranz is also amazed by what Jordan has done for the shoe industry.

“He’s done incredible stuff for shoes,” he said. “Everyone wants his shoes.”

Unterfranz has more than 30 pairs of shoes in his collection, including a pair of Air Tech Challenges, a Nike shoe worn by tennis great Andre Agassi, Nike Hyperflights and Nike Air Flightposites. He said he got his first pair of Air Jordans in kindergarten – the Air Jordan VIII.

He received his Flightposite shoes in eighth grade, and although their gold color stood out, that didn’t matter.

“I got a lot of weird looks when I wore them, but I loved them,” Unterfranz said.

Unterfranz said he has always been interested in art and sports – he played football, basketball and baseball in high school – but really became passionate about shoe design his sophomore year of high school. That was when his art teacher assigned his class to bring in shoes and draw them. 

When he came to IU to pursue his dream of shoe design after finishing high school, the Crown Point, Ind., native said he faced challenges, including the operation of a sewing machine.

“I didn’t know how to work a sewing machine before college,” he said.

Although he said he struggles at times in classes, he is eager to learn and has been helped by others.

“I’m learning stuff I’ve never done before, but everyone has been very helpful,” he said.

One of his best friends, senior Pete Sanchez, who Unterfranz seeks counsel from about his shoe designs, thinks his friend will realize his dream.

“Even if you threw his talent out the window, he would get there on motivation and willpower alone,” Sanchez said.

Unterfranz and Sanchez met during their freshman year of high school on the football field. Unterfranz later approached Sanchez, remembering him for his red Reebok zip-up shoes. Sanchez, who also said he is a big fan of shoes, remembered Unterfranz for his Air Jordans.

Unterfranz keeps up with the ever-changing shoe industry by working at Foot Locker and following Web sites like kicksguide.com, which provides information and advice for shoe designers. Each month, creators of the Web site select a theme for designers to work on.

The current theme is the 2008 Olympics. Unterfranz is designing a shoe based on the famous 1992 Olympic basketball team, dubbed the “Dream Team.” He said he is also incorporating into his shoe design the architecture of the Beijing National Stadium, which is nicknamed the “Bird’s Nest” for its nest-like skeletal structure.

Unterfranz is also working to obtain a certificate in fashion design, a two-year program at IU that selects only about 40 students each year.

One of his friends in the program, junior Mollie Albert, said she has never met anyone who thinks about shoes as much as Unterfranz.

She also expressed how much fun she has had taking classes with him.
 
“He brings great spirit to class,” she said. “He makes everyone laugh and is eager
to learn.”

As for Unterfranz, his top goal is to break into the shoe industry. But if he doesn’t, he said he would like to pursue sportswear fashion.

“Sports have always been my life and I’d love to be in shoes,” he said.

One of Unterfranz’s favorite pair of shoes is the Air Jordan Retro V Fire Red. He bought them last summer, but is saving them for a special occasion.

“The first time I wear them will be with my cap and gown,” he said.