Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear

Rick Maderis has spent more than twenty years inside adidas, Nike, Jordan Brand and Curry Brand, working on the graphics, color and storytelling that rarely get a name attached. Now he runs Burnside Knives in Portland, and you can see the sneaker brain in every piece.

Rick and I played phone tag for close to a year before this happened, and it was worth the wait. We talk about the fire drills that end up producing better work, tilting the adidas trefoil fifteen degrees and hearing about it, why retros carry more pressure than new shoes, the Doernbecher Air Jordan 15, and asking whether you're the right person for a project before you say yes. Then it's knives: how a sneaker graphic designer ended up with KNIVES on his license plate, why the handle is a magma grip and not elephant print, and the Lost Lake Easter egg hidden in the Cabrillo 2.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Coming up: the Doernbecher kid, and the other side of the river
00:30 Why this conversation took a year
01:57 The conversation starts
03:39 A coloring book and a grandfather
03:57 Art school to adidas, Jordan and Curry Brand
06:27 Is getting moved around good or bad for creatives?
10:46 Big brands vs small teams: who actually does the work
12:35 Fire drills and better work
17:41 Redrawing a grail Jordan pattern from scratch
20:26 Jason Mayden: make them feel something
22:11 Tilting the trefoil 15 degrees
25:13 Sharpening every single edge
26:24 Breaking the Jordan formula
30:26 Why kids should watch the WNBA
36:34 CCS, 5 a.m. phones and skate catalogs
38:47 The Doernbecher Air Jordan 15
43:12 Lewis Latimer, Bruce Lee, and asking first
47:37 Why heritage collections get cut first
50:50 How he got into PENSOLE
55:24 Leaks, mockups and Easter at the drugstore
1:01:08 How Burnside Knives started
1:04:20 Why it's called Burnside
1:07:15 KNIVES on the license plate
1:09:45 Making something that outlives us
1:14:14 Magma grip, not elephant print
1:20:50 The Lost Lake Easter egg
1:26:00 Sneakers made us better storytellers
1:33:02 Where to find Rick

FIND RICK
Rick's work: https://www.rickmaderis.com
Burnside Knives: https://burnsideknives.com
Instagram: @maderis and @burnsideknives
His eyewear side project, IIVNI: https://iivni.com

MORE FROM ME
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NickatSneakerHistory
The Sneaker Newsletter: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com
Sneaker History: https://sneakerhistory.com
My first book, Small Luxuries: Sneakers, out October 2026: https://bookshop.org/a/122044/9798317900854

Rick sent me the Burnside knife we talk about in this episode. Full video coming soon on the YouTube channel.

Tell someone you like their kicks today. You never know how far a compliment will take you. And we all know how good it feels to be on the receiving end of some appreciation.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

Jason Mayden walked into Jordan Brand in 2001 as its first design intern. He designed the Air Jordan 2009 and the Jordan CP3.II, left in 2014 to build his own companies, and came back a decade later to run design for the entire brand. This past May he stepped out of that job into one that did not exist until he took it, VP of Jordan Visioneering and LA28 Creative Lead.
We talked about the Air Jordan 41, and about almost everything except the spec sheet.
He explains what he had to unpack coming back into the building, and lands on the line that frames the whole conversation, that this is a reverential era and not a referential one. He responds to what Leo Chang and Donald Kelsey found on the road this year, six months of research across three continents where not one young athlete asked for the heritage colors. He makes the case that the women's game is where the next real change in basketball footwear comes from, and explains why he studies technical boxing to think about design.
He talks about the Air Jordan XX3 and working alongside Mark Smith, Tinker Hatfield, and Tom Foxen when the fight was over solvent free glue. He talks about the crew building the game shoe now, and what it was like to watch them come into their own. He talks about criticism, and why indifference is the only reaction that would bother him.
And he tells the story of being seven years old in a hospital bed, fighting a blood infection, imagining himself as Lucius Fox working for Michael Jordan, who he thought was Bruce Wayne. That is where the word visioneering comes from.
One line from this conversation has stayed with me since we recorded it. You never really finish an Air Jordan, you just run out of time.
Nick Engvall has worked in the sneaker industry for over two decades. He built the original Eastbay Blog during his time at Sole Collector, led the first dedicated sneaker team for Complex, led the first UGC and seeding programs for Finish Line, was employee number 9 at StockX, and was Sr. Director at Stadium Goods.
The Sneaker Newsletter: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com
Sole Collector: https://www.solecollector.org
Small Luxuries: Sneakers, out October 2026 from Motorbooks: https://bookshop.org/a/122044/9798317900854

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory
Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall
Support On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com

[Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

Mike is flying solo for another Coffee Time Kicks episode, and he brought a good one. He sits down with photographer and content creator Adham Abousalem, better known as Chef Doomy, for an honest conversation about building a craft instead of chasing a following.
They get into why this wave of oversaturated releases is quietly handing power back to the collector, what actually makes someone a sneakerhead (it has nothing to do with brand loyalty), and how New Balance helped make comfortable runners cool again in a post-Yeezy world.
Adham shares his origin, from collecting dubstep band tees and borrowing a friend's camera to becoming one of the most respected shooters in the space. He talks openly about how COVID drained his motivation, why ComplexCon changed his trajectory, and why shaking a hand still beats sending a DM.
Then there's the Ronnie Fieg moment. Adham explains how a genuine, no-agenda conversation at an All-Star weekend Kith panel led to Ronnie gifting him a 1-of-36 Kith x Nike Air Max 95 in "Beetroot," with a handwritten note he won't forget.
It is a real conversation about doing the work for the love of it, staying positive, and letting the opportunities come when they come.
Follow Chef Doomy: @chefdoomy on Instagram and Twitter/X.
New here? Subscribe to the Sneaker History Podcast, leave a review, and tell us your favorite Kith release or your favorite Chef Doomy photo in the comments.

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory
Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall
Early Access, Exclusive Videos, and Content On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory
Sneaker Business Insights: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com
Track Your Collection: https://www.sneakerhistory.com/archive/

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com

[Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!]
—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––
Our podcast is proudly...
Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory
Hosted & Distributed By Captivate: https://bit.ly/3j2muPb

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

Josh De Vaney lives in Perth, Western Australia, about as far from the center of sneaker and basketball culture as you can get, and he has quietly built one of the most complete collections of Michael Jordan toys and figurines on the planet. Not the shoes. The toys. The stuff most of us ripped open as kids and never thought about again.
It started with a Christmas hoop in 1994 and turned into an eleven-year hunt that led Josh to a figurine Ohio Art says was never sold or released, a twelve-page feature in Sneaker Freaker, an unplanned meeting with Howard White at Nike, and a moment where Michael Jordan's own grandson ended up playing on a toy hoop that came out of Josh's collection.
We get into all of it. Why the toys matter more than anyone realizes, how being remote became the advantage instead of the obstacle, and the very simple thing Josh does to get almost anyone to say yes. This is one of my favorite conversations we've done, and Josh says himself we only scratched the surface. Headphones on for this one.
Tell someone you like their kicks today. You never know how far a compliment will take you.
Find Josh:
Instagram: @joshua.devaney (Michael Jordan Toy Historian) Try it yourself: Google "Michael Jordan's rarest toy."

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory
Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall
Early Access, Exclusive Videos, and Content On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory
Subscribe on Substack: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com
Track your collection: https://sneakerhistory.com/archive/

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com

[Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!]
—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––
Our podcast is proudly...
Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory
Hosted & Distributed By Captivate: https://bit.ly/3j2muPb

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/

Mike runs a solo Coffee Time Kicks episode and sits down with a friend of the show, Jason Faustino, Senior Director of Energy at Saucony. Fresh off the brand's Paris preview, Jason breaks down how Saucony builds its creative world: why knowing exactly who you are beats chasing anyone else, how collaborations really get vetted (it comes down to chemistry and gut), and how a small team stays two years out on product while making it look effortless.
They get into the Westside Gun partnership and the passing of the torch from Jae Tips, why Jason sees himself as working for the artists as much as the brand, the Ride 1 revival, the slow-burn rise of the Guide 7, and a Crystal Caves colorway coming back on the Triumph 4. If you want to understand what makes Saucony tick right now, this is the one.
In this episode:
Why Saucony leans all the way into its own identity
How collabs actually get vetted, and why it comes down to a feeling
The Westside Gun and Jae Tips story
Protecting artistic freedom inside a corporate structure
The two-years-out product development timeline
Ride 1, Guide 7, Omni 9, and the Crystal Caves Triumph 4
Why in-person community still beats the transactional stuff

Follow Jason on Instagram @um.jf13. Saucony at saucony.com.
Subscribe to the Sneaker History Podcast and drop your favorite Saucony in the comments so we know you made it to the end.

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory
Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall
Early Access, Exclusive Videos, and Content On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory
Subscribe to The Sneaker Newsletter for industry insights: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com/

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER SHOWS:
For the Formula 1 Fans - Exhaust Notes: https://exhaustnotes.fm
For the Fitted Hat Fans - Crown and Stitch: https://crownandstitch.com
For the Cars & Sneakers Fans - Cars & Kicks: https://carsxkicks.com
For the Creators & Creatives - Outside The Box: https://podcasts.apple.com/id/podcast/outside-the-box-convos-with-creators/id1050172106

[Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!]
—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––
Our podcast is proudly...
Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory
Hosted & Distributed By Captivate: https://bit.ly/3j2muPb

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/