One Piece Puma Concept
One Piece is one of the longest-running mangas in history, starting in 1997 and amassing over 1,000 chapters while still ongoing today. The series follows the journey of the Straw Hat Pirates as they set sail in search of the legendary treasure, the One Piece. This series is one of my favorites because of the vast world that is crafted with extreme attention to detail in each aspect of the story. Hundreds of characters build this diverse world full of adventure and mystery. The storytelling alone made me a fan, as the author, Echiro Oda, has been able to create such a compelling story that has had readers hooked for 20+ years!
PUMA x One Piece Suede Collaboration
This collaboration was based on the Four Emperors, which are the strongest pirates in the world. Each shoe represents a different pirate captain to follow in the race to become the Pirate King.
Character : Blackbeard
The character that I chose to focus on is Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard. He is the main antagonist of One Piece, as his mission is to take over the world. What makes him so interesting is that he is not the strongest, but he is extremely strategic in the moves he makes towards his goals. He waited years for the perfect timing to fully take his plan into action, plotting to form a strong team of like-minded criminals, and now he is the captain of one of the most dangerous pirate crews, the Blackbeard Pirates. Mystery surrounds Blackbeard, as he is the only character in the story to wield two different devil fruit powers, with one allowing him to steal powers from other users and the other allowing him to cause massive earthquakes.
Being my favorite antagonist in the show, I wanted to make sure that he was properly represented as the calculated and bold character that he is. His many accessories add to the complex character he represents, yet the Puma collaboration took a more generalized route that glazes over the unique characteristics of Blackbeard.
Blackbeard Puma Suede
PROBLEM
These designs did not speak to the core audience of One Piece, as the design details are not authentic to the characters they are representing. The details chosen to represent Blackbeard in particular miss the mark in terms of color choice, graphic application, and the accessories that tie it together.
COLOR
The colors chosen for Blackbeards Puma do not properly represent his character, as in the shoe, his colors are represented by mostly using dark brown, black, and gold. This color placement is too safe for such an evil yet bold character.
ACCESSORIES
The main embellishment of the collaboration is a coin with the P from the PUMA logo, but the problem is that this coin is barely shown within the anime. For this to be such a prominent feature on the shoe, it should be something that is more notable to fans, especially for a character that has very distinct accessories.GRAPHICS
The graphics that were used to distinguish each character do not feel like they were chosen purposefully, as the rounded flower print is not a main feature associated with Blackbeard being so prominent in this design.
SOLUTION
Consider the character design of Blackbeard more to create a tighter design that has more thoughtful placement of color, relevant accessories, and stronger graphic choices. Being more upfront with the color choices.
COLOR
Focusing on creating a more bold palette that is true to the character of Blackbeard. The red color is so prominent in his design that it should be brought out more when creating something that is representative of him.
ACCESSORIES
An iconic accessory to Blackbeard is his various rings that he is always shown wearing. Each with a unique bold color and shape, adding to his pirate design as he has acquired these from various islands that he pillaged without care.
GRAPHICS
Color
Color Experimentation
Lighter Tones
These are predominantly white, with brighter color pops to accent the Puma Formstrip logo.
Bold Color Base
These bolder colors on the majority of the sneakers bring a completely different attitude to this collaboration.
Darker Tones
Closer to the original, these darker colors are closer to the character of Blackbeard, as his evil intentions are reflected in his dark powers.
Final CAD
The colorblocking in this iteration is much more represenative of the character Blackbeard, as black is the majority of the shoe with selective gold hits and red accents to help the movement of the design. This colorway also has appeal to more casual sneaker wearers, as the black gives it a lifestyle interest.
Accessories
Blackbeard is not complete without his rings, He is always shown wearing multiple colorful rings with unique shapes. These rings would provide a moment of bright color pops for an overall dark shoe making them stand out, while providing smart details fans would appreciate. These rings could be added through the laces as lace keeps, so the consumer can customize their arrangement.
Final Render
Blackbeard Puma Redesign
Other Projects
The Navigator
Extra
Champion Work
Adidas Creature Concept