Long-time global footwear industry veteran and chief product officer for Xero Shoes, Dennis Driscoll, is retiring on September 1 after more than 44 years in the business. Driscoll talked with SGB Executive about the insights he gained over his career, including having worked for Avia and Converse and what he will miss.
Driscoll started in the footwear industry in 1978. He co-founded Avia Athletic Footwear, which was sold to Reebok, and held global roles at Wilson Sporting Goods, Converse (seven years in senior product roles), Dr. Martens, and Crocs. He joined Xero Shoes in 2012, spearheading the expansion of the brand’s minimalist footwear line into more than 40 performance and casual styles of shoes, boots and sandals, expanding beyond its flagship DIY sandal kits featured on Shark Tank.
Driscoll, who has been chief product officer since day one at the company, was originally a one-man show at Xero, serving as the brand’s product designer and developer for his first six years with the company until he added additional designers, and the brand’s primary line builder and merchandiser for the first eight-plus years until he expanded the team. The product team has eight people today.
You started in the footwear business in 1978. How has the industry changed since the early days?
It’s much bigger and more complex. Shoes were simpler then and had a more classic feel. They were also much closer to a natural movement construction. For years many companies tried to one-up each other with new inventions and technologies—the vast majority disappeared from the landscape, so it’s debatable how great there were.
What has stayed the same?
The constant is the activities at the core of what we use footwear for — sports, outdoor, lifestyle, and fashion.
What are some of the highlights of your career?
I have designed, developed and merchandised shoes (line building) for 45 years. That’s the part of the business I love working in. I have multiple utility patents for footwear design and have always been fascinated by how such an intricate mechanism as the human foot functions. It supports the entire body weight of most people during decades of running, jumping, climbing, playing, and walking. Working in the infancy of two brands and tilting at all the windmills to help them survive and thrive gave me a lot of satisfaction.
How do you spot trends early and determine when they’re ready to fade away?
It’s a guessing game, but there are tells. When it comes to function, I try to determine if there is a real benefit or if it’s a gimmick. Functional trends tend to have legs if there is solid thinking and true benefits to the design. Gimmicks come and go. On the fashion side of a trend, I try to use a designer’s eye to evaluate the freshness and aesthetic of the design. But as to whether it will be popular, who knows?
You worked at Converse when the brand was reinvented as a casual and even underground brand. What was the key to making that happen?
I don’t think Converse was reinvented to be a more casual or underground brand. Led by the Converse All-Star (Chuck Taylor) and, to some extent, the One Star, Jack Pursel, etc., groups of consumers decided these shoes were cool and iconic. Once that happened and the sales exploded and surpassed performance shoe sales, the company ran with it. After the company filed Chapter 11 and was acquired by new owners, they were smart enough to emphasize and support these iconic styles.
You joined Xero Shoes when the minimalist craze was peaking and fell apart for many brands with the FiveFingers lawsuit. Was that a positive or negative for Xero?
The rise and fall of the barefoot/minimalist craze happened over a relatively brief period. There were multiple factors at play. For Xero, we decided to get outside of that period’s noise and focus on the benefits of natural movement—a legitimate and common-sense point of view, where we could build shoes based on easy-to-explain benefits that respect the amazing mechanism of the human foot. Making feet stronger and healthier by letting them flex and bend naturally has been our guiding principle from the beginning.
What’s your insight on the barefoot/minimalist movement in footwear?
I’m a believer in a natural movement structure for footwear. I never refer to it as barefoot since you are not barefoot if you are wearing shoes or sandals. Natural movement means having light, flexible footwear that allows the feet to flex and move as naturally as possible, no heel lift to tilt the body forward and a wider toe box to allow the forefoot to splay naturally under pressure. In addition, shoes that keep the foot close to the ground for better balance, agility and ground feel. I’m not a fan of thick, soft material underfoot, as it can be an unstable foundation for the foot.
You helped launch Avia at the start of your career and then Xero Shoes near its culmination. Can you share any insights about launching a brand?
Stay true to the equity and identity of your brand and its product story. Launching a brand’s biggest challenge is creating a unique selling proposition and funding. What was easier the second time around when launching Xero Shoes was the experience I gained from the first time with Avia. Doing it in a more mature and crowded market was more difficult.
What would I have done differently with Xero Shoes?
Not much. With the crowded market, bootstrap financing and COVID hurdles, we made some very good decisions.
Do you have any tenets or core philosophies to drive design and development?
If you believe in your product architecture/design language and form study, stick with it. There is a gravitational pull to be more like other brands, but if you believe in your product ethos, stay true to it.
What are you going to miss the most about working in the footwear industry?
The people.
What are your retirement plans?
I plan to travel, create art, keep fit with outdoor activities, garden, and spend time with my kids and grandkids.
Photo courtesy Xero Shoes
