Sneakers, Streetwear, and .... Teaching? What Jeff Staple Taught Me as an Educator
- David Lee
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
This pair of sneakers is one of the favorites in my collection. It’s not just the fit or the look; it’s the story behind them. This New Balance collaboration was designed by Jeff Staple, the founder of Staple Pigeon and a creative force I have admired for years.
Jeff is legendary for the 2005 Nike Pigeon Dunk, a release that effectively birthed modern sneaker culture and the "campout" phenomenon. But beyond the hype, Jeff is a master communicator. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to meet him at Sneaker Con Singapore. It was a surreal moment to see someone so influential be so authentic and down-to-earth.
Reflecting on his work, here are four lessons from Jeff that have shaped me as an educator.
1. Message and Medium Jeff uses streetwear to express the grit and hustle of New York City. He realized that a t-shirt allows "mad people" to see his message on the subway, unlike art hidden in a gallery.
I try to mirror this in education. My message is student empowerment through innovation, but my medium is video. Video allows me to use storytelling and imagery to advocate for STEM and Project-Based Learning, spreading that message far beyond the walls of my classroom.
2. Don't Ask for Permission To do something innovative, you often have to take initiative without waiting for approval. If I had asked permission to introduce Design Thinking in the early 2010s, I likely would have been told "no."Instead, I collaborated with a 1st-grade teacher, documented the student success on video, and let the results speak for themselves. The parents loved it, and soon, the administration followed. You are judged by what you create, not what you ask to do.
3. Process Over Work After a near-death snowboarding accident, Jeff realized that tomorrow isn't promised. He stopped setting arbitrary benchmarks and started focusing on living fully in the process.
As educators, we shouldn't focus on climbing the ladder to administration or landing keynote speeches. I focus on the daily craft of designing authentic learning experiences. When we teach students to value the learning process over the grade, we help them develop the resilience needed for life.
4. Look Outside for Inspiration Jeff treats the world like a massive survey, gaining "soulful insight" from people everywhere. While I can’t travel like him, I constantly look outside the education bubble.
I look at how real professionals work—whether they are museum curators or biomimicry engineers—and use that to design authentic projects. We must look to the real world to make school relevant.
Jeff Staple showed a young Asian kid that we could be influential in the creative world. His lessons on grit, medium, and authenticity continue to drive how I teach today.
Projects I mention:
INTERVIEWS WITH JEFF STAPLE
“Jeff Staple: Streetwear Designer, Founder of Staple Design” by @Yellowbrick - https://youtu.be/63eDlpzhYyM?t=139
“Jeff Staple explains the meaning of the pigeon logo” by Karmaloop - https://youtu.be/3wDoQz7aLLk?t=51
“I spent 24 Hours With Jeff Staple” by Tyler Babin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npT-fCpdEVc
“jeff staple's Humble Origins and Why He's More Than Just the Pigeon Dunks” by @ShadeTV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgGGzzok6zo&t=1875s
“A Guide To Living As A Creative” by Tyler Babin - https://youtu.be/c3AmZXWBeEQ?t=1104
Clips used for this video:
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