Behind the Scenes of the Curry 11 Design Process

Ed Wallace gives fans a look behind the design process of Stephen Curry's newest basketball shoe.

Every sneakerhead has days circled on their calendar. For hoopers, it is always the launch of a new performance basketball shoe from the signature Stephen Curry line. Last year, Curry and Under Armour celebrated a decade of dominance together. Now, the two partners are looking to build for the next generation of athletes. 

Curry's 11th signature sneaker features a cutting-edge design that celebrates the future of Curry Brand, pushes boundaries, and fuels hoopers' performance on the court. The Curry 11 'Future Curry' is launching globally on UA.com and in select Brand Houses on Friday, October 13. UA Rewards members will get 24-hour advanced access to purchase Curry launches. 

The debut colorway, ‘Future Curry,’ pulls inspiration from the wonders of what a modernized future could look like, speaking to the lasting impact Curry will have on the NBA and future generations of hoopers across the globe. For the first time, the Curry 11 includes dual-density UA Flow technology, offering a softer top-loaded piece, providing ultimate comfort underneath. Additionally, a segmented plate helps athletes maintain stability throughout the midfoot and underfoot with more flexibility at the forefoot. 

FanNation Kicks was granted an exclusive interview with Ed Wallace, Senior Footwear Designer for Curry Brand and Under Armour Basketball, regarding the development process and inspiration behind the shoe.

A detailed look at the Curry 11 / Under Armour

How long ago did you and your team begin working on the Curry 11?

"The Curry 11 is my first signature shoe under the Curry Brand. This process and working with Stephen was new to me. But this process started probably about two years ago. Usually, on the inline calendar, it's an 18-month process. But a project like this that's going to be a big staple from the brand that we want to push innovation, we usually start a little bit earlier than the typical timeframe."

How much give and take was there between you and Stephen?

"I was lucky enough that we didn't have to go back and tweak and redesign and do all that with Stephen. But early on, there was a whole lot exploration and ideas that happened with the design team. We bounced ideas back and forth for the first six months of the design process with the innovation team and our internal folks. We were just thinking about different solution paths to go after, including materials and that type of thing. Once we locked in internally and had a game plan we wanted to present to Stephen, it wasn't a lot of changes to the actual product. It was more just fine-tuning once we had the design set."

Could you speak to Stephen's favorite component of the design?

"I think from the aesthetic standpoint, he just really loved how dynamic it looks from the material placement. His previous models were mode unibody with the same material throughout the whole shoe. So, I think he really likes the materials on the heel and medial toe - that is what we call the 'Shimmy,' where it's that fun element of some color shift and makes the shoe feel more dynamic. And he loved the asymmetry in the toe-down, and I would say those were the main things aesthetically that he liked about it. Just that wow factor with the fresh look."

Stephen Curry in the Curry 11 / Under Armour

What is your personal favorite part of the shoe?

"I would say probably the same things. There were some subtle tweaks that happened during the design process as we refined it. But a lot of it, we maintained the essence of that original design intent. As a designer, that's what I really love when you can do a sketch and maintain it throughout without anyone trying to blow it up or pivot too much. So when you see the vision come to life, that's my favorite part. I'm just happy to see the whole thing come together in a nice way."

Do you see the Curry 11 as a natural progression of the line or a step in a new direction?

"That's a great question. I think it's a really nice mixture of both. With Stephen, he's a creature of habit, and he's very superstitious. When things work, you don't want to pivot away too far from that. When he launched Curry Brand with the introduction of UA Flow on the Curry 9, he really loved Flow and Warped technology, so that is something we want to maintain for him. 

He feels really comfortable with those technologies, so for me, working on the Curry 11, it's like, how can we take that and give it a bit of a remix or evolve it even further? So bringing some things familiar with him and putting a twist on it to make it look fresh."

For the first time, the Curry 11 includes dual-density UA Flow technology. How long has that been in the works?

"We've had that motion for a while. At some point in the creation of the Curry 10, they were wanting to implement that, but it wasn't ready yet. There are two painted areas on the Curry 10 midsole, which is kind of a nod to a different Flow material there, but it didn't pan out from a technology standpoint at the time. So, it became more of an aesthetic thing on the Curry 10. But it's been in the works for quite a bit." 

A detailed look at the Curry 11 / Under Armour

I noticed arrows on the toebox. Is that unique to this colorway, and what's the meaning of the arrows?

"That should be on 99% of the colorways. It's a discovery element that is very close to Stephen. When you look at shoes from a toe-down, it's the greater-than and less-than sign. If you know Steph, you know he has the tattoo on his bicep that is the 'He is greater than I' symbol. So it's a nod to him and his faith. Implementing that into the shoe alongside some other personal details that you would notice around the shoe.

You'll see his signature on the midfoot TPU piece, and if you really squint at the heel counter, you'll see some text there. We wanted to implement something fun. Sometimes he's bold, and he will talk his stuff, and then sometimes, we have to do it for him. So we added in 'Created for the greatest shooter of ever.' We thought that was a nice detail that consumers will discover as they play around with the shoe.

The Curry 10 reprised several fan-favorite colorways to celebrate a decade. Will we see more retro colorways or more new colorways with the Curry 11?

"I can't give you too much on the specifics of colorways. But I'll say you'll see a healthy balance of both. You'll see some heritage stuff that people love from Stephen, and you'll see some new stories as well."

The debut colorway, ‘Future Curry,’ is a nod to the next generation. What did the Curry Campers think about the shoe in August?

"I was blessed enough to be at the event, and I got to see a lot of it first hand. A lot of the hoopers were really excited. You could see it. The feedback and reception was awesome. As a design person, being in the room was awesome. The energy was way up, and people were excited about a new product in general. But it being Steph's shoe and at his camp, the energy was crazy."

Stephen's body of work on the court speaks for itself. How do you view his legacy in the sneaker world?

"He's a living legend at this point. Everything he does is associated with greatness and his efforts to change the game for good. We had a lot of momentum early on with the first few models, and he will tell you that his favorites were the 1, 4, and 6. That seems so long ago, so we wanted to create something he likes better than the old stuff. 

From a sneakerhead and footwear industry impact, we're still writing his legacy and want to make sure with him growing his brand that we change the narrative around it and just start to pump out a lot of stuff that we all feel excited about. When we think about the future of his line, it's going to be exciting times. We're going to continue to push innovation and design aesthetics."

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