FAIRMONT V3
For the next iteration of the Fairmont Runner, I made a new last (with the help of Springline) to get the shape perfect. This meant redoing the pattern, even if the design stayed relatively the same. PAttern making is always a fun challenge, especially if you're trying to make the same design on a different shaped last.
From there, I tried to make a conscious effort to designing a colourway that is interesting and cohesive. The idea of a shoe that starts at the bottom in dark black, and as it moves toward the top it gets gradually lighter, with hints of lime green in between. Working this out with the materials was rather easy, since I used the same basic materials as V2, but in different colors. Upper making was basically the same as V2.
By this point, I was pretty familiar with lasting the Fairmont, and it went smoothly. The new last turned out to have a really nice shape!
Sole making commenced similar to V2, with a shaped-by-hand EVA midsole (albeit with a denser foam this time around), and the same hand-poured rubber outsole. I used a pigment for the first time, which gives it that dark black color. And I was advised to use Task 16 from Smooth-on to get the closest to actual rubber, instead of Reoflex 60 I used for V2
The finished product was true to my original design vision. The darker colors looked much better than the scraps I was using for V2, and the shape looked much closer to a traditional runner shape as well. I had originally planned for this shoe to be my first release, but switched gears to focus on the Polychrome. I think I will revisit this design sometime in the near future.
