Geoff Mcfetridge created a shoe for Nike called the Champion Vandal. He introduced to tear-away fabric and hid his artwork which was a patterned vinyl design underneath the outer layer, making these sneakers even more interesting by giving the wearer the ability to customize them themselves. The shoe was the first ever 'two in one' shoe. To promote the shoe Nike sponsored shows he had in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Berlin. I also created double sided wallpaper that when peeled off the wall would reveal an intricate pattern called 'Lets Wreck the Party' mimicking how the shoe was constructed. This is not one of his best pieces but it demonstrates that behind his commercial work and collaborations are underlying personal expressions. He doesn’t mould his style to fit the project; the project moulds itself to fit his work. All his pieces are based on previous work it is an evolving process.
The list of things bearing the Geoff McFetridge stamp is as impressive as it is long. As founder of design studio Champion Graphics, ‘visual auteur’ Geoff McFetridge’s award-winning designs have appeared on magazines, posters, t-shirts, textiles, skateboards, toys, shoes, motion graphics, advertising, films and now wallpaper. In addition to projects for Nike, Pepsi, MTV, Stüssy, Burton Snowboards, Girl Skateboards and Patagonia, the tireless McFettridge also designed a series of t-shirts and home furnishings for Mini, a division of XLarge Clothing. But as well as making stuff look good for others, he’s also an artist in his own right, who sees his art shows as 'plutonium' and commercial work as 'a dead end'.
For someone who sees commercial work as a 'dead end' why does he have such an exhaustive list of commercial clientele?
“Everything my work is about was formed as a child,” says Geoff, who describes his conservative hometown of Calgary as ‘the Texas of Canada’. “Living in this very banal, uniform place gave me a lot of space for introspection. I thought I was going to be an architect, because that was the only thing I knew about people who were allowed to draw. I didn’t know you were allowed to be an ‘artist’. No one’s dad was an artist, so I never knew there was such a thing.'
It wasn’t until Geoff heard about 'something called graphic design which was being a commercial artist, really' that he realised he could balance the expectations of a middle class upbringing (to have a job) with his innate desire to simply draw. 'I wanted to be successful,' he explains. 'My models were looking at, like, skateboard brands are successful, or bands are successful. I never had a model for being an artist. I viewed what I was doing as art, but I thought, 'I should just call it graphic design, that’s the trick!' If I said I was a graphic designer, it meant I could do whatever I wanted and still make money and be successful whatever that is.'
Where language breaks down, graphics can excel. Sometimes graphics can say 10 times more than words. It is one of the most powerful forms of communication, and Geoff conquered this.
'I'm ready to do shows now. In the past I approached art shows like a project and came up with a concept. Now it's all one project. I'm just doing this thing and reconnecting with all elements of it. The 'game' of separation between commercial - graphic - art projects wasn't working. Now I'm mixing all up...this art show could be for a client.'
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