Consulting + Alternative Education
Impact design and business, while changing education to be more accessible and hands on.
Photography by Leeor Wild for Adidas S.E.E.D. {School for Experiential Education in Design}. Featured are Cheresse’s six students. Back Row, Left to Right: Samantha Alvarado, Melissa Baptista, Cristina Lopez, and Eliya Jackson. Front Row, Left to Right: Breeana Walker and Deannelys Corcino. The team is led by Cheresse Thornhill and is a design program in partnership with Pensole at the Brooklyn Creator Farm supported by Pharrell Williams.
Cheresse Thornhill, Chief Creative Consultant | S.E.E.D. Design Director at the Brooklyn Creative Farm in Brooklyn, New York
A little about Cheresse Thornhill, footwear design consultant, Creative, Design Director at Adidas S.E.E.D. & much More.
She has been in the footwear design industry for over 13 years. Her career began in Beaverton, Oregon at Nike where she was a footwear designer for 10 years before moving back to her hometown of Miami, Florida to teach design at both the high school and college levels.
She launched No Shoes Creative, a design consultancy, in 2016 and designed footwear for Champion upon the relaunch of the brand. In January 2020, Cheresse made the move to Brooklyn, New York to lead Adidas S.E.E.D. (School for Experiential Education in Design) as the Design Director. Cheresse is part of the team that’s transforming the footwear industry and cultivating the next generation of diverse design talent.
“I lead an amazing group of 6 women on their quest to become footwear designers. I believe that if you have a brain you are a creative, embodying creativity, and made in the image of the ultimate creator. I desire to help you bring that creativity to life.”
“As a first-generation American growing up in the cultural melting pot that is South Florida, art and design permeated my childhood. The art form of visual expression became a safe haven for me and a way to communicate with the world. Little did I know one day I’d find a way to bring both of my passions together for the perfect merger of art, sports, self-expression, and style.”
Video credit to Matte for Adidas S.E.E.D. {School for Experiential Education in Design}, Pensole Partnership at Brooklyn Creator Farm.
“Experience is the best teacher, and our designers learn by doing. ”
My current consulting role is the most unique role of my career and brings together all the things I’m extremely passionate about. This is very different from traditional design roles in large organizations and design education roles at colleges and universities.
Most roles either focus on design or design education however my role exists at the intersection of design, education and business which is the perfect playground for young designers to learn and gain experience. As the Design Director of adidas S.E.E.D. (School for Experiential Education in Design), I lead curriculum development/ facilitation coupled with the design direction our “go to market” products and shepherding our designers through the design process.
Pictured is Cheresse’s home office in Brooklyn, New York. Provided by Cheresse Thornhill.
Learning, experience, and finding your own voice.
Once a designer has gained experience within a large brand or established consultancy, learned how to manage themselves, developed their confidence, worked within a team, and established strong creative problem-solving abilities against targeted business objectives, I would recommend entrepreneurship and independent consulting next step.
Being a design consultant enables you to brand yourself and focus only on projects that you fully believe in and align with your values, such as projects that focus on sustainability, health, wellness or community advancement, etc.
Image credits: Matte. Students and work from the inaugural class of Adidas S.E.E.D. for Adidas S.E.E.D. {School for Experiential Education in Design}. The team is led by Cheresse Thornhill and is a design program in partnership with Pensole at the Brooklyn Creator Farm supported by Pharrell Williams.
The culmination of our Color & Material 101 course was our first shoe which launched in January of this year. The GEN20 CLR 101 Adidas Superstar was a very exciting project.
Our team designed the color and materials story for this model in the midst of the start of the pandemic and adjusting from an in-person educational experience to a distance-learning educational experience. The team leveraged all they learned about color theory & psychology, trends, materials, consumer insights, and seasonality to deliver this exclusive colorway to the marketplace that sold out in just a few weeks.
“Career planning within an organization is very different from career planning as an independent consultant. ”
Speaking to the Realities of consulting, A unique perspective & overall outcome with the role in the industry.
The realities of consulting, which is actually the exciting part, in my opinion, is the independence of charting your own course from a career planning standpoint. Career planning within an organization is very different from career planning as an independent consultant. Within an organization, there are the confines and complexity of organizational structures and pre-existing succession plans that require much more navigation and advocacy from internal senior leaders. This path can lead to amazing opportunities, however can be limited to that specific organization.
Independent consultants have a unique viewpoint of their entire industry as well as other industries and can be more creative in terms of finding unique opportunities in untapped intersections of industries. Consultants usually have very extensive and diverse networks and can leverage them to develop innovative collaborative concepts and initiatives that can really produce positive results and new career opportunities.
Photography credits: Matte. Students with their Design Director, Cheresse Thornhill, and work from the inaugural class of Adidas S.E.E.D. {School for Experiential Education in Design} a design program in partnership with Pensole at the Brooklyn Creator Farm supported by Pharrell Williams
Photography by Leeor Wild for Adidas S.E.E.D. {School for Experiential Education in Design}. Featured are Cheresse’s six students. The team is led by Cheresse Thornhill and is a design program in partnership with Pensole at the Brooklyn Creator Farm supported by Pharrell Williams.
Thank you, Cheresse, for giving us a glimpse into your careers & work as an inspiring woman in design.
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