The sixth issue of “Shining the Spotlight” brings back Brett Golliff, the Creative Director of Ethics Brand and also a freelance footwear designer. Back after a year since the last interview, Brett discusses with Sneaker Speculation the growth Ethics has experienced over the past year and, most importantly, the design process of the brand’s latest flagship model, the LgTWO.
After the launch of the LgONE, the brand’s first model, the focus for Ethics was to build upon its success and move on to the release of the LgTWO. Despite the release of the LgONE back in 2021, the initial tech pack for the shoe had been completed two years prior. And over that time, their signature athlete, Langston Galloway, changed his playstyle. By transitioning to a low-cut, Brett was able to focus on agility and satisfy Langton’s changed preference to be low-down on the court. Not only was the brand’s signature athlete pointing towards a low-cut silhouette, but it also came from the consumers who were buying and reviewing the shoes. “We got a lot of feedback. It wasn’t just guards playing in it; it was from other people” Brett explains. “And signs were pointing to us to go lower, we worked to make sure we didn’t sacrifice support and went down the path to lower the shoe appropriately.”
“signs were pointing to us to go lower”
The design process of the LgTWO would be entirely focused on designing a new upper, as it would maintain the midsole and outsole of the LgONE. This goes back to the last interview, where Brett described Ethics’ vision as being a farm-to-table restaurant focusing on providing what is needed. “As a company if we don’t have a sound enough reason to replace the tooling, all you’re doing is wasting more energy and more of Earth’s resources,” he adds. Since the Ethics team was already satisfied with its overall width, stability, and function, “it wasn’t the right time to introduce a whole new system to it.” Keeping the same tooling system also meant that Ethics could avoid the costly and timely process of developing a new tooling system, allowing for a quicker turnaround of the LgTWO.
The decision to go lower would also go in parallel with the fundamental question, “How do we remove (weight) and get more flexibility and breathability?” The solution came from replacing the LgONE’s suede base with nylon for breathability and flexibility. To maintain its structure, the nylon was reinforced with a stitching pattern inspired by the LgTWO’s outsole pattern. “I wanted the design elements to speak to each other, so it was a little bit of bringing the soul of the outsole into the upper,” Brett explains. The pattern from the outsole would be combined with his interest in human anatomy, as the wavy pattern was placed with consideration of the natural flexibility of the foot.
“I wanted the design elements to speak to each other”
Over the wavy nylon upper, Brett wanted to keep the suede overlays. By maintaining the cut and sew aesthetic for the LgTWO, a manufacturing technique that has become an identity for Ethics, the cloud-inspired suede overlays helped maintain a “tactile feel and tonality to the shoes.” And following his “form follows function” philosophy, the overlays were formed from the process of breaking down the LgONE to remove weight. “I broke the LgONE down and found where the main overlays needed to be to provide support” Brett explains, “I started by drawing basic zones. I knew that I had to reinforce the heel and give support around the forefoot. So in drawings, I was just blocking that in.” Once the functional pieces were placed, Brett moved on to adding form. Inspired by Benedict Redgrove’s cloud photos, it prompted the idea of “clouds supporting the foot.” Starting off with simple flowing lines, the functional blocks would eventually take the shape of clouds, splitting and moving through the sky, “embracing the idea of splitting mass.”
“embracing the idea of splitting mass”
Compared to the design process of the LgONE, where COVID-19 took over and everything was at a standstill, the LgTWOs were designed when things got a bit more kinetic, with Langston Galloway back playing full-time. “COVID-19 happened, and we had all the time in the world; we would just communicate back and forth at a time. So decisions were a little bit quicker.” Brett adds, “That’s not to say that decisions were slower with the LgTWO. It was different in the sense that he’s back playing full-time. And we have to navigate how we’re going to communicate.” There were also positives that arose from Langston being back on the court. The samples would align perfectly with his training camps, allowing Brett to receive quick and agile feedback. It also helped that Ethics already had a shoe out in the market, as it allowed him to get a better understanding of the consumer, what they’re buying into, and what they’re looking for. Allowing the brand to embrace the community it has built and taking on the feedback to “execute at the level everybody is expecting”.
Overall, the LgTWO has been a success with the shoe gathering positive feedback, and it turned out to be the shoe that put Ethics on the higher stage, with Kyrie Irving wearing a pair during his sneaker free agency. “We were the first non-Nike product that he publicly wore on court. It was incredible,” Brett explains. “I won’t say it changed the trajectory of the company; Ethics is doing great, but it opened the eyes of many other people. The conversation that it created and the number of people that were checking it out were beautiful.” However, despite the huge milestone, Brett Golliff, Langston Galloway, and Sabrina Galloway continue to journey on, fixed on the vision of becoming a brand that operates with purpose and provides the market with its needs. This is the brand’s essence, which has allowed its steady growth and will continue to fuel its expansion over time. With Langston now playing in Italy and receiving love and support from the Reggiana fanbase, there are more opportunities for Ethics to explore and expand into Europe. Starting with free international shipping, pop-ups, and finally plans to potentially manufacture Ethics shoes in Italy. “We’re learning our way through things. So I don’t want to directly state that it’s a part of the business plan entirely” Brett explains, “But it is something that we’re going to try and do our best to figure out and put into play. It’s as simple as that.” As Brett prepares two more shoes with Ethics, there aren’t any signs of the brand slowing down. And the same goes for Brett, who continues to grow as a designer, balancing multiple projects on top of being a creative director of Ethics.
“it opened the eyes of many other people. The conversation that it created and the number of people that were checking it out were beautiful”
“We are about 75% complete with shoe three, tentatively called e3. We are pushing for it to be the lightest weight basketball shoe we have created. It is important to note, we are not trying to make the lightest weight basketball shoe ever. Our focus is on the right weight, not the lightest weight. As our belief is, that is not healthy because it sacrifices stability. We just confirmed mould opening for our first wear-test rounds. Which Lang will wear at the USA Basketball games this summer. I must say I am very excited for where it is heading. It’s a shoe that has challenged how I create and is a culmination of everything I have learned in the past 18 months of designing.”
Image source via Ethics, Brett Golliff, ESPN
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