Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Franz.
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have loved footwear for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Sacramento, CA, home of the Kings. I used to stare at the feet of the players on TV, my favorites being Chris Webber and his Dada Supremes and Tracy McGrady and his T-Mac line. Tastes change though, I’m not a patent leather guy so much these days. I remember using the family printer to print out pictures of the Jordan line in chronological order, admiring the evolution of the designs. I always dreamed of having my own shoe company.
I went to college on a full ride for Swimming to TCU in 2010, and remember any time I was given a meal stipend, I would try to buy a pair of sneakers on our travel trips. I made some friends on the basketball team and they would give me Jordans and Forces that they were done wearing since they were given equipment stipends and regularly changed out their shoes. I majored in Communications with a minor in Business but as I neared graduation, I wanted to start a career in Marketing and Advertising and work for Nike in Portland, Oregon. I was aligned with a recruiting manager but with no experience on paper or degree in the field you are trying to work in it was not going to happen.
I started working for Honda as a Sales Analyst as my first job out of school and took a promotion after a year and a half to move from Torrance, CA to Atlanta, GA as a District Sales Manager. The building in Buckhead I moved into had a sneaker store in the ground level, and I was drawn back into collecting all over again. Then I met the good folks at Attom Shop, shoutout Kris, Mya, Metta, Joey, and so many others through that circle that made me see the shoes are important, but the garments need to be focused on too. They all styled different icons in the city so it opened my eyes to a lot of brands and materials, etc. What was really special to Atlanta for me was all of the community events, whether hosted at boutiques or the High Museum or just some friends at the house, I was constantly pushing myself to go and learn what I could from those experiences and people.
I remember ‘Sticks and Kicks’ at Wish ATL introduced me to Senor Kaos, a Nike Footwear Designer and past EKIN who brought a whole duffle bag of samples to show at the event, walking the audience through each concept. We ended up meeting for a beer in Edgewood and was able to hear even more of his story. The creative fire in me lit up. I started tinkering with customizing sneakers, started with dip dyeing Yeezy 500s with some friends at the house on my birthday. I started a brand called Often Copied Designs with a close friend of mine Tyler Brown and launched a couple of collections, learning garment dyeing, embroidery, and graphic design in the process. I applied and got access to design 3 sneakers with Nike x Cultivator, an AF1 Low, an AF1 High, and an AM95. I held my launch event at Attom Shop and even made Nike Ads using a foam board display, an iPhone, and PowerPoint. Fast forward eight weeks later pairs started arriving on friend’s doorsteps with my laser-engraved signature on the insoles, it was a euphoric feeling. I wanted to continue to chase that.
I was then tapped to do a capsule of customized AF1’s for Martell USA liquor brand affiliates for ATL Sneaker Ball and got experience cutting and weeding vinyl and applying logos and designing brand-specific colorways for a silhouette. A friend of mine, who at the time was VP of creative for MTV/Viacom, seeing the custom work, asked me to be a contestant on a short platform Youtube TV show called Sneaker Wars where participants battled head to head against the clock to complete the best custom, focusing on a different shoe in each episode. All these experiences brought me to fly to Portland and meet with different contacts from the Swoosh to better hone in on where I could see myself fitting in their organization. After some amazing meetings and seeing the campus, which for me was definitely a Wonka Factory moment, I came to the conclusion that I could fit in a lot of different departments but I would be boxed into doing one thing. The other path that lay in front of me was pursuing my own path and doing it myself. I was nearing 30 years old and the goal or gift that I wanted for myself was a pair of Nike’s designed by me from the 21M Nike Bespoke Lab. The problem was due to the pandemic restrictions, they had closed down. I had to reframe what that goal looked like.
I decided to go a different route. I used my banked-up Marriott Points from traveling with Honda to order an iPad and Apple Pencil and downloaded Procreate, utilizing the tutorials to start sketching my own silhouette. When I reached a point where I liked the design, I started looking for small-batch shoe manufacturing operations to get an idea of what it would cost to execute a sample. This all started with the goal of just having a pair for my own two feet that I could be proud of. But what came from that pursuit and the joy of the experience was a foundation to build a brand.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would love to say it has been a smooth road the whole way but there were definitely challenges to overcome. I wish I had majored in fashion and marketing in school and found the focus of what I love to do sooner, but who knows if it would have led me here. There was a point in the brand where I had come to this idea to 3D print 100’s of miniatures of my prototype sample out of my home. I was printing number 0023 and brazenly using a pen knife to cut the raft from the model, meaning the platform it sits on when it’s done printing, with no gloves. I pulled the knife clean through a model and it went into my hand and left a 3-inch incision that was spraying blood like a Tarantino flick. I called a nearby neighbor and luckily they were home to drive me to the ER to get 8 stitches in my hand. That same day I was supposed to interview for the job I have since gotten and am happily working in, my current boss was kind enough to reschedule our call. It was a scary moment but a reminder to continue but make protective measures to ensure my well-being. A few weeks later, I also overworked the printer to the point where it nearly caught fire and burned the house down. It’s been a beautiful run so far and I haven’t even put pairs out into the world yet. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this brand and what footwear will fill my closet in the years to come.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What sets my footwear company apart from others is the pursuit of educating and community building that has been a major focus from the beginning. Instead of rushing to market or seeding influencers, I instead deployed design workshops and the Franz of the Brand program where models were sent out and are still being sent out in rounds to those who have touched me in my life or during this creative journey. Workshop participants are told the story of the brand and how it came to be as well as guided through executing a tech pack color and material sheet before painting a 3D Model with acrylic to be included in an art installation at the conclusion of the tour. Some of the most original colorways may even end up as actual pairs in future drops.
I also just went on a trip to Portugal to meet my manufacturers and production team and see the work and love that goes into every pair. I need to continue to understand every step of the process and take in the endless possibilities of soles and materials to utilize in future designs. Seeing how the sausage was made, from seeing the rubber melted down to be reused in sole manufacturing to seeing a women-owned and operated laser cutting facility, was the greatest joy of my life so far.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My grandfather used to pick me up from school as a kid on an almost weekly occasion to take me to Mcdonald’s for lunch. I remember I would scarf down the burger and fries really fast, but he would sit there and enjoy every bite like it was a religious experience. He was short in the way he would speak to most people and on most days, but he would greet me with the biggest smile when he picked me up from school, and you could feel the joy Mcdonald’s gave him during those lunches. Those memories were truly special to me. When I was in Porto, Portugal a week ago, it is home to the fanciest franchise in the world, and I smiled when I saw that because I know he would be pumped to go there himself.
Contact Info:
- Website: franznfamilyzine.com
- Instagram: @welcomemyfranz @franznfamilyfootwear
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgb7iqaF9F0
Image Credits
Kevin J. Watkins, Image 2. Cam Kirk Studios, Image 4.
