Made to Last Podcast

MADE TO LAST — Sean O’Shea & Geoff DeasIn this episode of Made to Last, we sit down with Sean O’Shea and Geoff Deas to talk about their unconventional paths through footwear design, their years working together, and how 3D printing has transformed the way they create product.Sean’s journey began in Maine, where he played basketball while studying art. After being introduced to product and footwear design, he landed internships at New Balance and Reebok, where he met E. Scott. From there, Sean went on to work with Converse, adidas, Nike, Tommy, Guess and Puma.Geoff’s path began at a consultancy in Lawrence, Massachusetts, working with New Balance before reconnecting with Sean at GBMI in Santa Barbara. Their careers continued to intersect at AND1, K-Swiss and eventually ANTA, where they both joined the brand and helped lead its Southern California design operation.Working remotely from California created a unique challenge. They were competing for attention with designers in China who were only an hour away from the factories, while the Southern California team had limited development resources. They needed a way to move faster and make their ideas feel more tangible.3D printing became that weapon.What began as an unfamiliar technology quickly became a powerful creative tool—allowing them to visualize, prototype and iterate at a speed that traditional footwear development couldn't match.That technology became especially important when ANTA's CEO tasked the team with pursuing Kyrie Irving. With Nike-level expectations but a fraction of the resources, Sean and Geoff used 3D to demonstrate the creative potential of what ANTA could offer. The work helped give Kyrie a reason to take the brand seriously—and ultimately helped ANTA earn the opportunity to work with him.Now, after a brief stint at Off White, they've taken that experience into their own venture, Odd Labs (formerly Overdose Footwear). FOLLOW @odd_footwear on InstagramOdd Labs operates as an incubation platform for athletes and entertainers interested in building footwear. With 3D printing, ideas can move from sketches to physical product without the traditional costs and timelines associated with footwear development.As Sean puts it:“As fast as we can draw, we can get shoes to people.”The concept goes beyond simply making shoes. Odd Labs functions as a kind of “sneaker university”—giving athletes and entertainers the opportunity to develop, test and prove their value in the marketplace before making the leap to a full signature product.That approach has already led to partnerships with Baron Davis and Jaylen Brown, with retail and production expertise supported by Zellerfeld.And after years of building a career around footwear, design, and innovation, Sean sees Odd Labs Footwear as his own version of making it to the NBA— a level of impact and creative freedom he always wanted. Along with Geoff, they’re creating a platform where athletes can explore their ideas, develop product, and build something of their own.FOLLOW ⁠@odd_footwear⁠ on InstagramFOLLOW  ⁠@madetolastpod⁠   ⁠@FCTRYLab⁠   ⁠@theomarbailey ⁠  ⁠@DuaneALawrence ⁠ on Instagram#sneakerbusiness ##MadeToLast #FootwearDesign #SeanOShea #GeoffDeas #OverdoseFootwear #3DPrinting #FootwearInnovation #SneakerCulture #AthleteInnovation #ProductDesign #OddLabs

MADE TO LAST — Sean O’Shea & Geoff DeasIn this episode of Made to Last, we sit down with Sean O’Shea and Geoff Deas to talk about their unconventional paths through footwear design, their years working together, and how 3D printing has transformed the way they create product.Sean’s journey began in Maine, where he played basketball while studying art. After being introduced to product and footwear design, he landed internships at New Balance and Reebok, where he met E. Scott. From there, Sean went on to work with Converse, adidas, Nike, Tommy, Guess and Puma.Geoff’s path began at a consultancy in Lawrence, Massachusetts, working with New Balance before reconnecting with Sean at GBMI in Santa Barbara. Their careers continued to intersect at AND1, K-Swiss and eventually ANTA, where they both joined the brand and helped lead its Southern California design operation.Working remotely from California created a unique challenge. They were competing for attention with designers in China who were only an hour away from the factories, while the Southern California team had limited development resources. They needed a way to move faster and make their ideas feel more tangible.3D printing became that weapon.What began as an unfamiliar technology quickly became a powerful creative tool—allowing them to visualize, prototype and iterate at a speed that traditional footwear development couldn't match.That technology became especially important when ANTA's CEO tasked the team with pursuing Kyrie Irving. With Nike-level expectations but a fraction of the resources, Sean and Geoff used 3D to demonstrate the creative potential of what ANTA could offer. The work helped give Kyrie a reason to take the brand seriously—and ultimately helped ANTA earn the opportunity to work with him.Now, after a brief stint at Off White, they've taken that experience into their own venture, Odd Labs (formerly Overdose Footwear). FOLLOW @odd_footwear on InstagramOdd Labs operates as an incubation platform for athletes and entertainers interested in building footwear. With 3D printing, ideas can move from sketches to physical product without the traditional costs and timelines associated with footwear development.As Sean puts it:“As fast as we can draw, we can get shoes to people.”The concept goes beyond simply making shoes. Odd Labs functions as a kind of “sneaker university”—giving athletes and entertainers the opportunity to develop, test and prove their value in the marketplace before making the leap to a full signature product.That approach has already led to partnerships with Baron Davis and Jaylen Brown, with retail and production expertise supported by Zellerfeld.And after years of building a career around footwear, design, and innovation, Sean sees Odd Labs Footwear as his own version of making it to the NBA— a level of impact and creative freedom he always wanted. Along with Geoff, they’re creating a platform where athletes can explore their ideas, develop product, and build something of their own.FOLLOW @odd_footwear on InstagramFOLLOW  @madetolastpod   @FCTRYLab   @theomarbailey   @DuaneALawrence  on Instagram#sneakerbusiness ##MadeToLast #FootwearDesign #SeanOShea #GeoffDeas #OverdoseFootwear #3DPrinting #FootwearInnovation #SneakerCulture #AthleteInnovation #ProductDesign #OddLabs

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? VOL. 4 — TRENT WILLIAMS’ CUSTOM CLEATS BY FCTRY LABWhat happens when a future Hall of Fame left tackle gets the opportunity to help engineer his own cleat?In Volume 4 of What’s In The Box?, Omar takes us behind the scenes of FCTRY Lab’s work with Trent Williams, developing a custom cleat specifically around his style, foot, and performance needs for the upcoming NFL season.This is more than a customized shoe. It’s an athlete-driven development process—from the performance plate to the fit, upper construction, colorways, and ultimately getting the product approved for the NFL.IN THIS EPISODE:PART 1 — WORKING WITH A HOF LEFT TACKLEOmar explains what makes working directly with an elite athlete so valuable and how Trent’s style and specific performance requests shaped the cleat.PART 2 — PERFORMANCE PLATE DEVELOPMENTThe performance plate became a true 1-on-1 collaboration between Omar and Trent. It’s the level of individualized performance customization that most players simply can't find from the major brands.PART 3 — DEVELOPMENT TIMELINEDespite coordinating multiple schedules, FCTRY Lab took the cleat from concept to training camp in just 7–8 months. 3D foot scans, plate development, and upper pattern adjustments all contributed to a cleat designed to feel “broken in from the moment Trent puts them on,” rather than waiting until the 3rd or 4th quarter.PART 4 — THE NFL APPROVAL PROCESSOmar breaks down the challenges new brands face when getting product onto NFL players, from the approval process to the importance of building relationships with the training staff who work with athletes every day.PART 5 — COOL COLORWAYSWhat can we expect to see on Trent’s feet throughout the season? Omar walks through the upcoming colorways and explains how NFL uniform regulations influence what players can wear on the field.PART 6 — THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PRO ATHLETESFCTRY Lab’s work with athletes like Jalen Ramsey and Trent Williams is creating new possibilities. As more professional athletes see what's possible when they have a direct role in developing their own product, the opportunities for FCTRY Lab continue to grow.The big brands make products for athletes. FCTRY Lab is building products with them.Subscribe to Made to Last for more conversations about footwear, design, innovation, and the people shaping the industry.#WhatsInTheBox #FCTRYLab #TrentWilliams #NFL #FootballCleats #FootwearDesign #ProductDevelopment #FootwearInnovation #MadeToLast #JalenRamsey0:00 - Working With HOF Left Tackle Trent Williams2:10 - Performance Plate Development3:40 - Development Timeline6:27 - The NFL Approval Process8:20 - What Colors Can We Expect?10:30 - The Future of Collaboration for Pro AthletesFOLLOW  ⁠⁠@madetolastpod⁠⁠   ⁠⁠@FCTRYLab⁠⁠   ⁠⁠@theomarbailey ⁠⁠  ⁠⁠@DuaneALawrence ⁠⁠ on Instagram

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? VOL. 3 — TRAVON WALKER’S CUSTOM CLEATS BY FCTRY LABWhat happens when you design a cleat around the athlete—not the other way around?In Volume 3 of What’s In The Box?, Omar takes us inside the development of a custom cleat for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker, built specifically around his performance needs.The cleat features a modular plate system capable of producing two different stud lengths from a single mold. That means less time and money in development—and a much easier experience for equipment managers, eliminating the need to constantly swap screw-in spikes.The longer studs are designed to give Travon additional traction when playing in wet and challenging conditions.And the customization doesn't stop at the outsole.Travon also went through FCTRY Lab's 3D foot scanning process, allowing the team to create a custom last shaped specifically around his foot. The result is a more precise fit with less unnecessary space inside the shoe.As Omar puts it, there's no room for that extra “foot juice.” 😂In this episode, we break down how performance, fit, manufacturing efficiency and athlete-specific engineering come together to create a cleat built for the player.This is what happens when the athlete becomes part of the development process.#WhatsInTheBox #FCTRYLab #TravonWalker #Jaguars #NFL #FootballCleats #FootwearDesign #ProductDevelopment #FootwearInnovation #MadeToLast

In the latest installment of "What's In The Box?" Omar Bailey breaks down making position-specific shoes for NFL players- from 3D foot scans to personalized colorways. The custom footwear process requires buy-in, trust, communication and a lots of patience to make something special. In this case, Omar takes the classic silhouette of the OB1 from FCTRY Lab and flips for the football field. But he's TORN! Trent Williams, OT, and Samson Ebukam, DE, are both FCTRY Lab athlete partners. Who is Omar going to root for when the 49ers play the Falcons on October 25 in Atlanta?Follow ⁨@FCTRYLab⁩ and ⁨@madetolastpod⁩ to hear more about the custom footwear process. Subscribe to the channel and look out for new episodes of MADE TO LAST.