This ignited a passion for supporting fellow athletes to excel in sports. While at SCAD, she was a member of the IHSA National Championship-winning equestrian team. MG Taylor graduated with a BFA in Industrial Design with a Minor in Equestrian Studies at The Savannah College of Art and Design.
Currently, Arte’sia uses her artistic skills to create one-of-kind shoe designs for fellow sneaker heads and those who seek to express themselves creatively. Arte’sia is also interested in finding connections between athletic apparel and performance and how it can help push athletes to their max potential. Sustainability, affordability, and inclusivity are all in her plans to create a better experience and provide opportunities for athletes of all ages, sizes, genders, and more. Her career aspirations changed when realizing her passion for design and the way in which she could impact the sports industry through her knowledge of Kinesiology.Īrte’sia plans to build her design, storytelling, and research skills to break norms in the sports apparel and footwear industry by combining her love for streetwear and fashion. As a former athlete, lover of fitness and inspiring others to live healthy lifestyles, she had the intention of becoming an athletic trainer. As a first-generation college graduate, Arte’sia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Kentucky in Spring of 2021. She is particularly interested in utilizing modern technologies and manufacturing techniques to create the next generation of game-changing performance footwear.īeing inspired by the world around her, Arte’sia Payne-Watts is a creative, eager to seek new challenges and break barriers in the design world for black women in sports. Driven by her curiosity to push boundaries and in footwear innovation, she jumped back into her studies in sports product design at the University of Oregon.
After graduation, she worked at Crocs as an associate designer in Boulder, CO, focusing on in-line classics and international collaborations with Beams and Journal Standard. Kat realized a career as a footwear designer was her true calling and took an intensive course at Pensole Academy in Portland, OR that focused on color, material, and finish for shoes. During her undergraduate degree, she explored a wide variety of design channels, planned networking events as President of the IDSA UW Chapter, and worked as a Textile Intern at Knoll Furniture. She received her bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the University of Washington in 2019. Kat Hazen was born and raised in Mill Valley, California where she grew up loving fast paced sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, and soccer.