Meet the Footwear Designer Shaping ECCO’s Future
Humberto Jimenez has been the Design Director at for the past five years. Hailing from Mexico City, Jimenez is behind a vault of ECCO’s futuristic footwear, including the latest – a model that allows wearers to fine-tune and customise the shoe to their own individual preferences. To cap off a huge in 2023, we caught up with Jimenez to talk sneaker memories in Mexico City, his role at ECCO, and what the future of footwear holds for sneakerheads.
Tell us about growing up in Mexico City. Did you have a connection to sneaker culture as a kid?
Well, Mexico City is a big place. I remember moving around all day, non-stop. My memories are always surrounded by colour and amazing food. When I was young, I was a big NBA fan and like any good NBA fan, basketball trainers meant a lot. We didn't have much money, so I was always dreaming of which sneakers I would love to own. I updated my list every month. The were awesome, but I remember the first time I saw the I thought they were out of this world. As a personal project, I recently designed a pair of trainers inspired by the Orlando Magic.
Have you found ways to explore and incorporate Mexican culture into your design process?
Definitely, sometimes very literally in the case of some customised I designed and also our wedding rings. The rings incorporate two dots vertically positioned symbolising 21 in the Mayan numeral system, the date we got married - although my wife Sarah actually designed these!
I feel very proud of being Mexican, it is integral to who I am and therefore very much a part of my approach and attitude to things. Mexico is a country full of warmth, positivity, vibrancy, humour and joy – we find it in every occasion. A great example of this is Dia de los Muertos, our increasingly well-known colourful celebration of friends and family that are no longer with us. I have lived in different countries and always carry this vibrancy with me. It remains a strong part of who I am. I also believe there's a Mexican way of improvising and solving problems with less means, which pushes me to think more outside the box.
Tell us about some Mexican artists that have inspired you lately.
I find our ancient culture very inspiring, graphically it is incredibly rich. In architecture, the shapes of Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and the colour applications of Luis Barragán will always be a great source of inspiration. I love the humour in artist Gabriel Orozco’s work and music-wise, I am a big fan of Café Tacuba, my favourite Mexican band.
You’re now the Design Director at ECCO Labs. What does this involve?
I am the Design Director at ILE, Innovation Lab ECCO. In very few words, we are in a constant search for opportunities within ECCO, whether digital, retail, technology, materials, processes, customisation. Obviously footwear, but really anything that can impact ECCO positively, to be more efficient and more sustainable. It’s incredible, and challenging, to have the freedom to explore all these areas. I feel very fortunate to have this position.
Tell us about some of the models you’ve worked on recently.
I designed the new BIOM INFINITE with support from my team at ILE and the team from R&I in Denmark – an amazing group of people to work with. This shoe is the first product of our new line ECCO LABS, and offers a customised active shoe with a recycled knitted upper from Byborre.
I know ECCO is big on sustainability in the footwear industry. Can you tell us about some of your personal design goals when it comes to eco-conscious footwear? What does the future of footwear look like to you?
Like you mention, ECCO is constantly working on this area and there are amazing people making so many changes within the company, which is very inspiring. Sustainability is present in every single project now, and it is a big and exciting challenge to work on projects completely focused on this. We are working hard to find truly creative solutions to more sustainable products. I guess this takes me back to my previous comment ‘do more with less’ and make products with less impact on the world.
For more on the BIOM Infinite, make sure to check out our history of the design, .