Today we’d like to introduce you to David Kessler.
David, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am a Colorado-native who grew up outside running, skiing, fly fishing, mountain biking, and cycling. I spent my teenage year’s competitive road cycling and quickly moved through the ranks, winning multiple Colorado state championships and a US Junior national championship title. This afforded me the opportunity to race in Europe on the US junior national team in both road and cyclocross. I became interested in design and integrating performance materials into products during my time cycling. Far beyond, just use in athletics, I am speaking of performance in the broadest sense of the word: “What can this material do?” Asking and answering questions like this inspired me to return to school to complete my industrial design degree at RISD.
During my time at RISD, I headed our collegiate cycling team, RISD CYCLING, and spent most of my time developing my design skills completed several footwear design projects. While footwear runs in my family (pun intended… my grandfather owned a shoe store and my mom was sponsored by Nike for marathons), I was drawn to the complex design and engineering challenges that footwear present. My two favorite projects have been collaborations. Veloce 1, completed with industrial designer, Jose Tejada, is to my knowledge the first 3D printed cycling race shoe which consists of a custom, 3D printed textile fabric. Jane Park x David Kessler, completed with textiles designer, Jane Park, was a textiles/industrial design involving the creation of a Jacquard-woven, hand-stitched upper and a custom three-piece outsole.
As a designer, I am very interested in manufacturing processes from the ground up. I took it upon myself to visit a footwear factory in China last summer to see footwear production as it is carried out in the real world in many places. I was very taken by the amount of toxic exposure workers sustained in the production of shoes, and I was in awe of the huge amount of waste that was inherent in the process. This experience affected me greatly and cemented my commitment to combating the issues of waste and toxins associated with the footwear industry. That is what I am currently working on…
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think that artists, designers, and creatives have a duty to tackle different social and environmental issues. My design work is driven by my desire to address and combat environmental issues, especially in the footwear industry.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Kesslerlab.com my portfolio site.
Jane Park x David Kessler is currently on display at the RISD Museum in Providence, RI.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.kesslerlab.com
- Instagram: @kesslerlab
Image Credit:
Daghan Perker ( portrait cycling photo), Wen Zhuang (Jane Park x David Kessler, beige shoes)
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