Charley Hudak

Creative Direction: Charley Hudak

Design Team: Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development:

Having the opportunity to work with Rickie Fowler was an incredible experience. Having met with him after the practice round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Country Club in Detroit, Michigan to discuss current and future models. Rickie Fowler was very engaged and his attention to detail was incredible. He set design criteria that were based on performance. He scrutinized things and had no problem articulating his desires. The experience was incredible and I learned so much about what a professional golfer desired in their golf footwear. He emphasized the importance of designing to spec and designing a product that displayed his personality. His story provided plenty of inspiration and as a team, we delivered by creating a balance of innovation and proven existing technologies. Rickie Fowler is a true professional in every aspect of his life. And, he demanded the same for anything that he puts his name behind.

Creative Direction: Rickie Fowler

Design Team: Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development: Steve Langis, Cecily Diep & Keith Sedgewick

This is one of my favorite projects during my tenure with Puma. Tasked with creating a “fusion” between performance and lifestyle, I was given the opportunity to own the process and create without too many restrictions. While I was at the University of Cincinnati - DAAP, the Bauhaus Movement was ingrained into our being and it this product is the result of everything that I learned during my time in Cincinnati, Ohio. What resulted was a clean, simple design that epitomized the concept of “form follows function.”

Creative Direction: Charley Hudak

Designer: Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development: Keith Sedgewick

The Blaze Pro was built for the high-performance athlete that wanted every advantage when teeing it up! With Lexi Thompson in mind, we built this show to meet the criteria she was wanting in her footwear. While meeting with her she stated a few things that were crucial: 1) comfort 2) stability and 3) support were three things that could not be compromised. Having played other sports growing up, she knew exactly what she wanted and that makes our jobs challenging, but with a clear objective it enabled us to start from the ground up.

Creative Direction: Steven Keating

Design Team: Jason Raleigh, Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Developer:

This is a perfect example of creating new energy to help solidify a franchise and build heritage into the product line. Creating a different execution on an already successful platform was the concept and the execution was received well. This also afforded Puma the opportunity to champion the heritage while pushing innovation. The Crafted product was created with the heritage golfer in mind. This golfer wants to stay true to the history of the game and nothing speaks to this more than the saddle shoe look of yesteryear. I envision seeing this execution for future models coming down the pipeline.

Creative Direction: Steven Keating

Design Team: Jason Raleigh (original design); Charley Hudak (CGM, modifications, branding)

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development: Keith Sedgwick, Cecily Diep, & Steve Langis

Creative Direction: Steven Keating

Design Team: Jason Raleigh, Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development:

This product was built on short timelines in order to satisfy the desire of a retail partner to grow an already successful franchise. Keep the general “look and feel” of the old model, we maintained 80% of the elements that made this model relevant. Not every design is born out of the box. And sometimes, it’s crucial to follow the family of form that has been successful. This product was an example of our team having the discipline to stay true to the previous model’s design language and crucial design elements.

Creative Direction: Steven Keating

Design Team: Jason Raleigh, Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development:

Building from an extremely successful existing model, Puma Golf wanted to create a product that would follow the design attributes that made this model successful but put our spin on it in order to make it relevant to the sport of golf. Two design criteria ‘must-haves’ needed to be augmented in order to deem this project successful. One, it needed to brave the elements (waterproof), and two, it needed to have traction on multiple surfaces (grass, sand, dirt, and pavement) while staying true to the original design. Our take on the RS-X was extremely well received by every region and deemed a massive success.

Creative Direction: Steven Keating

Design Team: Charley Hudak (outsole & upper modification, CMF)

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development: Steve Langis / Keith Sedgewick

Creative Direction: Charley Hudak

Design Team: Charley Hudak

Product Line Manager: Andrew Lawson

Development:

While at Greats I was tasked with bringing “new-ness” to the already popular model “The Royal” by creating rich stories that would captivate the already loyal customer base. Creating themes that were supported with color, material, graphics, and finishes to enhance the storytelling. This particular pack was inspired by the collegiate varsity jacket that always symbolized to the general population that something was earned, not given. The colorways, subtle accents, and gum outsoles paid homage to the collegiate heritage and tradition.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Italy Team

Product Manager: Ryan Babenzien

Photography: Charlie Wang

Stories are important to product and product marketing. This project was inspired by the Great Writers that spent time in Brooklyn creating written masterpieces. This capsule was intended to pay tribute to their work and celebrate their genius. Obviously, there were many to choose from, but we landed on 4 that we thought were most relevant to what we wanted to align with as Greats.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Italy Team

Product Manager: Ryan Babenzien

Photography: Charlie Wang

Collaborations were an integral part of Great’s strategy and perhaps one of the more impactful collaborations was with Nick Wooster. A fashion icon of New York City, this project afforded me the opportunity to work with a very influential person in the industry. I relished in the opportunity and together we created a capsule that resonated with the fashion industry and gained traction in a number of retail channels across the US market. It was such a great learning experience and definitely made an impact on Great’s product marketing strategy.

Creative Director: Nick Wooster

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Italy Team

Product Manager: Ryan Babenzien

Photography: Charlie Wang

The AND1 Ascender was inspired by military aircraft of the 20th century. The creative direction used chaos theory and conflict resolution to guide our principles of design. Committing to the a simple and tight set of parameters to guide our design process, we built each and every style with immaculate attention to detail. Nothing we created would be left to chance and an intense amount of scrutiny would take place regarding every design decision. The AND1 Ascender went through many different iterations and concepts challenging our factory counterparts each step of the way. What resulted was a light, comfortable shoe that fits like a glove. The outsole traction was modified several times in order to become the best traction oriented model in our quiver of footwear.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Joy Peng

Product Manager: Ted Livingston

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 Fantom 2 built to capitalize on the already widely endorsed AND1 Fantom. The lightest offering of all the models in the range, this product was the design and development teams desire to push the ideology of "form follows function." 

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Joy Peng

Product Manager: Ted Livingston

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 Fantom 2 built to capitalize on the already widely endorsed AND1 Fantom. The lightest offering of all the models in the range, this product was the design and development teams desire to push the ideology of "form follows function." 

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Joy Peng

Product Manager: Ted Livingston

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe 

The AND1 Havok was truly a work of love. So much blood, sweat and tears went into this project. When we set out to create a design language for the brand, we decided to take a bold, aggressive stance that would be both unapologetic and disruptive. The AND1 Havok would become the cornerstone for our team and would definitely set a precedent for products to come. The product was also the first product that would gain traction with the NBA athletes as it met their success criteria. Most notably it was worn by Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers as they made some waves in the NBA playoffs.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Joy Peng

Product Manager: Ted Livingston

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

Throughout my time at AND1 I leaned heavily on the historical and cultural influences of basketball and the street. However, I also payed very close attention to the role that science plays in the design of footwear. Not only that but have built some very well-organized philosophies about footwear design that pushed the products to new heights. Our team adopted these philosophies and this model was one of the products that an example of that synergy.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 Reaper SE was a project that responded to the demands of AND1's premier athlete. The initial product was received really well, but the athletes asked for a lighter, more breathable option. Working with the design and development team we answered the call without compromising the support, comfort, or stability. And, even though aesthetics is highly subjective, in our eyes it was a tremendous improvement.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

Our team was built and housed in an office a stone's throw from the mecca of basketball. This afforded our design and development team an abundance of inspiration to utilize when designing and developing the footwear product offering for AND1. The AND1 Tempest design is not only highly functional, but it also tells a compelling story that might be lost on some aficionados if they don't look closely.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

Our team was built and housed in an office a stone's throw from the mecca of basketball. This afforded our design and development team an abundance of inspiration to utilize when designing and developing the footwear product offering for AND1. The AND1 Tempest design is not only highly functional, but it also tells a compelling story that might be lost on some aficionados if they don't look closely. The Tempest SE was an update for Spring and exchanged action leather for engineered mesh in the vamp of the shoe.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 Tempest Low is what we coined as "The Perfect Hybrid." Not sure if many will understand the concept, but after a thorough wear and fit test period, we had that "a-ha" moment and started to engineer this product to be custom tailored to a very specific athlete that begged for a product more suitable to his/her playing style. The result was received so magnanimously that we decided to develop more products to focus on this area of basketball footwear. We believe this could be the future and would surely enhance the future products for the highly specialized athlete that desires a different tool.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 TC Trainer was an attempt to gain entrance into a new segment of the business. AND1 has always struggled to diversify its portfolio and was usually hampered by being considered a one trick pony (basketball shoes). The AND1 TC Trainer was a good balance between performance and lifestyle as it would be marketed as a pre and post shoe, which we believed would gain us entrance into the training category of footwear. We used design language from the most iconic model in AND1's history, the Tai Chi, and made the offering more contemporary with the use of materials and a more advanced and intricate lacing system.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

The AND1 TC Trainer was an attempt to gain entrance into a new segment of the business. AND1 has always struggled to diversify its portfolio and was usually hampered by being considered a one trick pony (basketball shoes). The AND1 TC Trainer was a good balance between performance and lifestyle as it would be marketed as a pre and post shoe, which we believed would gain us entrance into the training category of footwear. We used design language from the most iconic model in AND1's history, the Tai Chi, and made the offering more contemporary with the use of materials and a more advanced and intricate lacing system.

Creative Director: Charley Hudak

Design Lead: Brian Bjelovuk

Development Lead: Josh Fronda

Product Manager: Sean McMillan

Photography: Anne Claire Rohe

Creative Direction: Rob Dyrdek/Tom Jones

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Josh McDonald

Product Manager: Laurel Mitchell

Photography: Rex Quick

Creative Direction: Rob Dyrdek/Tom Jones

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Josh McDonald

Product Manager: Laurel Mitchell

Photography: Rex Quick

Rob Dyrdek is one of the truly great ambassadors of the sport and culture he loves, skateboarding. Any opportunity he has to improve the sport or culture, he jumps at it and does so with vigor and passion. Whether it was Street League or mentoring future phenoms including Nyjah Huston, Rob Dyrdek is a champion of his game. This shoe is an example of just that. He took the opportunity to push the design for a future phenom, Jagger Eaton who at the time of this design was just becoming a teenager. Rob not only pushed the marketing but also obsessed over the design and left me one of the best voicemails of all-time on a Friday night at 10 pm. Proof that his dedication and passion are unparalleled.

Creative Direction: Rob Dyrdek/Tom Jones

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Juan Calle

Product Manager: ???

Photography: Rex Quick

I footwear aficionado Rob Dyrdek is not short on a great number of references from the historical footwear archives. The amount of shoes that he is able to reference is quite impressive considering that he is being pushed and pulled in all kinds of different directions. But he has love of the game and that love is hard to quench, but with this design, we tried to deliver exactly what he was looking for as a hybrid design that paid tributes to both court, skate, and street. Provocative, yet ahead of its time, he was referencing 90s footwear before it was trending proving that once again, he’s a visionary.

Creative Direction: Rob Dyrdek/Tom Jones

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Josh McDonald

Product Manager: Laurel Mitchell

Photography: Rex Quick

The brief for this project went along with lines of "build a boot for Travis Rice." Pretty to the point, but no simple feat. Travis Rice went through product like a kid with a runny nose goes through kleenex. The design research for this project led to many findings including the name, "Colter," which was the small town in Jackson where Travis Rice honed his skills. The design of the boot was mostly in response to the rigors of which Travis Rice displayed for us during a short meeting in Denver. And, like any great product, there were some magical moments such as when the development team sent a prototype with a "new" hardware.

Creative Direction: Bryon Schroeder

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Juan Calle

Product Manager: Michael Fox

Photography: Rex Quick

The DC Chamber was one of the last projects I did during my time with DC Shoes. The project was to design a product for the moto category and this was my first venture within that category. During this time, the company was in turmoil and moral was low. The confidence level of the brand was definitely being tested. When your back is up against the while you have a decision to make. The DC Chamber was my response with bold branding, aggressive styling and an advance lacing system. The DC Chamber followed the creative direction by defying convention with every design decision.

Creative Direction: 

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Outsole Design: Dylan Petreka / Chad Night

Product Manager: Ted Livingston / Tom Hartge

Photography:  Sven

K-Swiss has a heritage so deeply rooted in tennis that it is difficult to build other product segments. The product was briefed in as an opportunity to push the brand into a wider demographic with a casual athletic lifestyle offering. Built on a performance base the upper was designed to push convention and challenge some of the conservative landscape that a few competitors seem to have a stronghold.

Creative Director: Brian Reagan

Design Lead: Charley Hudak

Development Lead: Phoebe He

Product Manager: Laurel Mitchell

Photographer: Erik Hernandez