Julien Chaintreau
Researcher, Product & Footwear Designer

Hey there !

After graduating with a BA in Industrial Design from ECAL︎︎︎, Lausanne University of the Arts (CH) in 2018, I embarked on my project Update Ltd. Following this, I dedicated two years to working as an industrial design intern for Ableton︎︎︎ in Berlin (DE) and as a footwear design intern for On Running︎︎︎ in Zurich (CH). Subsequently, I enrolled in the MA in Geo-Design at DAE︎︎︎, Design Academy Eindhoven (NL), led by Italian design duo Formafantasma︎︎︎, in 2020. This department explores design practices through research, investigating the socio-environmental, geopolitical, and economic components associated with objects and services. Continuing my passion for footwear while completing my Masters, I developed a nomadic shoemaking platform called NeoVernacular Footwear, which was presented at Dutch Design Week in 2022.

In 2023, I moved to Italy joining Roa Hiking︎︎︎ as their in-house Footwear Designer. I have contributed to the design and development of new silhouettes that cater to both performance and leisure, while maintaining a strong focus on craftsmanship, innovative assembly methods, and carefully selected materials. From September 2024, I have been appointed Head of Outdoor at UYN Sports︎︎︎, an emerging Italian sports brand with a strong focus on Bio-based technologies. Willing to expand to a more contemporary audience, I am currently overlooking both Outdoor apparel and footwear categories for their upcoming SS25 collections and beyond.

I view my design practice as part of a broader creative journey, drawing inspiration from various sources and responding to complex social and environmental challenges. Compromising human and non-human conditions for the sake of technological advancement is not an option for me. On the contrary, I am often inspired by slower, more ancient, and traditional forms of creation when addressing a design brief.

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