Hi, my name is Nate Roese, thanks for visiting my website! I graduated from the University of Oregon with my Masters of Science in Sports Product Design. I specialize in footwear innovation, performance and development. I utilize my interests in biomechanics to research and influence my designs. Other than designing shoes, I like to go out on runs, listen to electronic music and go explore the local fabric stores. If you would like to get in contact, feel free to email me by clicking the mail icon in the upper right.
Scroll down if you want to learn more about me and my journey!
GROWING UP
My journey began in Atlanta, Georgia on September 19th, 1994. A couple years after being born, my family moved across the world to a small town in Belgium. We lived there for 3 years and then moved again to The Netherlands for an additional 5 years. Growing up in Europe was an extraordinary experience where I met people from all around the world and from all diverse cultures. Even though I was young, I learned how to keep an open mind about different ideas and methodologies, and I accepted different ways to accomplish my goals. Europe is also the place where I discovered my love for sports, design, traveling and electronic music.
BACK TO THE US
I moved back to the United States in 2005 where I started middle school. Lifestyles were very different but I adjusted well to the changes. After a couple years of being back, I realized just how important and special it was to live in Europe. Middle school is where I started to push myself in sports, specifically cross country, basketball and baseball. I developed a passion for running, also traveled around the US for basketball tournaments, and finally I was fortunate enough to win a state baseball championship in Minnesota. During this time, I started to become interested in drawing and designing sneakers.
GLORY DAYS
High School is where my running career really developed. In cross country, I was a team captain, school record holder in the 5K and All-State honoree. In track and field, I was the two time Minnesota state champion in the 400. I currently hold the all-time 400m record in the state. I qualified for the 2013 USA Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa and competed against the best track and field athletes in the country. I received many scholarship offers to run track and field, but I ultimately decided to stay close to home, and chose to compete at the University of Minnesota.
STUDENT-ATHLETE
I will forever cherish being a student-athlete because it helped me grow ad develop in many ways. I learned and developed time management, leadership, hard work, and perseverance while balancing a full school work load and competing at the Division 1 level. At my time in Minnesota, I received my BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Product Design. At the end of my collegiate career, I was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week, school record holder in the 600m and a 2x All-American in the 800m and 4x400m relay. I continued my training and qualified for the 2018 USA Indoor Track Championship in the 800m.
DREAM 1 VS. DREAM 2
One of the hardest decisions of my life was choosing between a professional track career or continuing my education in design. I chose to enroll in the Sports Product Design graduate program at the University of Oregon to pursue my passion for sportswear design. I specialized mostly in footwear design with an emphasis on performance, innovation and development. I also received national design awards for an apparel project I did for an athlete with cerebral palsy. I graduated in 2020 with hopes of pursuing a career using my creative skillset to help athletes do the impossible.
UNEXPECTED START
After graduating in 2020 during a chaotic pandemic and big hiring freeze within the sporting industry, I managed to find a path into the world of orthotics and prosthetics (O&P). While I was disappointed to not use my skillset to create sports products, I unexpectedly found the O&P industry to offer valuable and interesting knowledge. The combination of product development, biomechanics, material science, and more have kept me enthralled with the work I do. I'm very fortunate to have found this field of work and I look forward to using this unique knowledge and perspective within the sporting good industry.
