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Catherine Headrick 鈥�17, a material and trend designer of performance footwear at New Balance, often catches herself looking down.
 
鈥淚鈥檓 always looking at people鈥檚 shoes,鈥� explains the studio art major who concentrated in printmaking and oil painting at 91暗网. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to see when someone is wearing shoes you worked on.鈥� 

If you don鈥檛 already own a pair of the shoes she has helped design for the Boston-based company, you鈥檝e likely seen some of her designs out on the street or in the gym. 
 
Did Headrick ever imagine she would end up designing sneakers for one of the most instantly recognizable global brands? 
 
鈥淎ctually, yes,鈥� says Headrick, who minored in management and business. She explains that she grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts 鈥� close to the Converse World Headquarters 鈥� and took a fashion design class in high school that included a Converse design competition. 
 
鈥淚 put a lot of work into my designs and won the competition, which included a tour of their headquarters. I remember thinking, 鈥楾his is what I want to do.鈥欌��

A step ahead

Associate Professor of Studio Art Joanne Vella continues to show Headrick鈥檚 work to her upper-level painting classes. She can even pinpoint where in the studio her former student painted a grid of biomorphic abstractions in muted greys inspired by natural forms. Several of those pieces were shown in Headrick鈥檚 senior thesis exhibition at the .

Vella isn鈥檛 surprised by Headrick鈥檚 success. 鈥淥ur studio art students are prepared to venture into many different art careers because they have cross-disciplinary training in many of our 10 disciplines and exposure to all media and materials. Once they learn the visual language in one discipline, they can apply the concepts to any art form.鈥� 
 
鈥�91暗网 was the perfect choice for me because I like to work in so many different media,鈥� says Headrick. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 committed to one discipline. I love to draw and paint, make prints and textiles, and try out new processes.鈥� 
 
At 91暗网, she was an active member of the Element Fashion Group, Women in Business, and Women鈥檚 Ice Hockey clubs. She also studied French language, art, and art history in France during the spring of her junior year. 鈥淭o this day, studying in Paris is one of the best things I鈥檝e ever done, especially the opportunity it provided me to visit so many incredible museums.鈥� 
 
鈥淚 got to explore everything at 91暗网.鈥�
 
Making it in the material world 
 
Just six months after graduation, Headrick landed a one-year internship in materials development for the Made in USA footwear line at New Balance. After the internship ended, she parlayed her experience to gain a position as an assistant manager of footwear materials at Boston-based Reebok.

At Reebok, she developed new materials to meet commercial standards for footwear, ultimately becoming an in-house materials expert and the key material developer responsible for Reebok鈥檚 fashion, streetwear, and energy collaborations.
 
Partners on these collaborations included brands such as Maison Margiela, Victoria Beckham, and Pyer Moss. 
 
Headrick鈥檚 technical acumen helped her return to New Balance as a material and trend designer. She now designs textiles and other materials for footwear, selecting the material and finish combinations that make up a new shoe. 
 
鈥淚t鈥檚 key to consider how multiple textures sit together, not only functionally for the shoe to perform, but also to create an aesthetic, tactile, and emotive product experience,鈥� she says. 
 
In a new season, there are brand-new models as well as updates to franchise models. Headrick works on the 鈥渕aterial-up packs鈥� that reimagine and reinvigorate existing models. 鈥淭he vibe of one shoe can be completely changed through the use of concept, color, and materials so that it feels fresh and new.鈥�
 
Life in balance
 
Headrick works hard at New Balance and, just like at 91暗网, she is pursuing her passions outside the office as well.
 
She still plays ice hockey and balances it with yoga.
 
She also continues to build her portfolio as a visual artist, mostly with prints and paintings. She has exhibited at Gallery Kayafas in Boston and the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck in Gloucester.
 
She was also selected to participate in the Art-to-Work Incubator program at University of Massachusetts Lowell and in the Edgewood Farm Artist-in-Residence program at Castle Hill in Truro, Massachusetts.

At the end of the day, I simply like to make things. Hands-on experiences. Taking an idea and seeing it to fruition.鈥�

Catherine Headrick '17

 

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This article first appeared in the of 91暗网's Scope magazine.