By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
The Los Angeles Rams are unveiling their new uniforms, as designed and produced by Nike, Inc. There is lots of excitement about seeing the new uniforms. This unveiling is an especially exciting moment for Nike’s lead project designer, who happens to come from rural Kansas.
Jason Wright is a lead product designer with Nike, Inc., in Oregon. That’s halfway across the continent from where Jason grew up near Garnett in Anderson County, Kansas.
“My dad was an engineer at Wolf Creek, but he also had a metal and wood shop at home,” Jason said. “Dad (also) restored an old ’72 Chevy pickup.
“I grew up with the expectation that, if you’re not doing something else, you’re out there doing something creative,” Jason said. “I owe a big debt to my dad.”
Jason helped his dad in the shop and worked on designing things of his own. He found he especially enjoyed drawing. “I loved basketball, and Kobe Bryant was my guy,” Jason said. Kobe was the most famous player in the NBA, and kids around the world were admiring Kobe Bryant’s shoes as made by Nike. “I tried drawing what my own ‘Kobes’ would look like,” Jason said. He drew sketches of logos and wheels and shoes. Continue reading “Story Headline: Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Jason Wright, Nike designer”
