Derek Huenecke
Senior Design Manager · Crocs
Denver, CO
In My Own Words
A 'Swiss army knife' of Footwear Design with a proven history of designing for the retail industry. Skilled in performance, fashion, and casual footwear design, with expertise in conceptual and technical design processes. Passionate about pushing the boundaries of footwear design, combining creativity, technical skills, and attention to detail to create innovative and inspiring products.
Work Experience
Global Footwear Designer II, Field of Play
Under Armour2022 – 2023
Global Footwear Designer - Lacrosse, Golf, and other cleated products.
Global Footwear Designer A - Category Lead
Vans, a VF Company2019 – 2022
-Global Footwear Designer for Vans Lifestyle Footwear. Heavy focus on progression and lifestyle newness for the brand, as well as All-Weather MTE, Outdoor Inspired, Snowboarding boots, and action sports styles. New style creation for Men's, Women's, Kid's, and innovation. -Category Lead designer, intern recruitment and mentor. -Seasonal trend forecasting, color design, and special projects for both seasonal in-line products as well as SMU projects. Athlete, Musician, and Brand Collaborations.
Footwear Designer
BucketFeet2015 – 2016
Global Footwear Designer and Accessories Designer. Men's, Women's, All-Weather, and special collaborations in a fast-paced start-up environment.
Footwear Design Intern
New Balance2014 – 2014
Category intern in Women's Training Footwear, special projects in Walking and Baseball categories as well.
Footwear Design Intern
Kenneth Cole Productions2014 – 2014
Heavy focus on Men's fashion Footwear Design, POP accessories, design operations and trend forecasting.
History Management Intern - Footwear
adidas group2013 – 2013
Utilized my comprehensive knowledge in footwear design, shoe technology, and sports to protect, preserve, and describe adidas’s entire basketball shoe history and technical drawings for internal and public archive use.