Why legendary sneaker designer D’Wayne Edwards won’t give up his morning routine

The longtime Nike designer explains how he turns creativity into a daily task, why he gets up early, and how young designers should think about their careers today.

D’Wayne Edwards, legacy sneaker designer at Nike and president of Pensole Lewis College, has been studying Bruce Lee since he was in high school. “I thought he was this guy who did karate,” says Edwards. “But he was an incredible philosopher.” Having received his design education entirely on the job (first at Skechers and then at Nike), Edwards says he gleaned so much of his approach to design from watching and reading Lee’s work. “He doesn’t have a fighting style,” says Edwards. “His fighting style is whatever his opponent forces him to do. That’s how I look at design.”