Inside Isabell’s red box

These boxes are integral to the Lab’s constructed microarchitecture. They are not simply a focal point of the space; they’re rather primary tools for our designers. Each designer has at least one personal red box. So, what secrets lie in our designers' boxes? What does it say about their creative minds? Join us as we dive in and find out.

In this interview, we speak with Isabell Solá, Senior Lead Footwear Design, who leads our footwear team in Special Projects and collaborations with partners like Loewe.

What’s the first item that stands out when you look into your box? 

Good question. I don't have a lot of things in here. I have mainly sports things. I have some clothing so I can go to yoga class and boxing and so on. I just recently started going to a boxing class.

Tell us the story of your boxing journey.

It’s not a very long journey so far, but I think it’s really exciting. I bought these gloves when I was in Vietnam – in our team, we all make trips to Vietnam twice a year. And at that time, I had started boxing maybe six months before and then everybody said that maybe I should bring boxing gloves from Vietnam. So I went to this boxing store and I bought these because I thought that they're very fun with all of the graphics which have this 90’s spirit. It reminds me of Miami Vice. So I thought that they were very funny.

What else is in there? 

I have some clothing too – t-shirts, my “Oniversity” t-shirt from when I did this program in Vietnam. I really like the t-shirt material.

The Oniversity is our shoe school in Vietnam – you're there for a week or two and you learn how to make shoes hands-on. You actually make them in the factory, in the production line. And it's really insightful and super cool. After, everyone gets a shirt and I quite like the quality of it. This one has an extremely soft feel – it’s super soft. I actually have three t-shirts and some leggings in here.

I also have my helmet in my box – I always bike to work. And then I have a jacket from our Loewe partnership too. I love this one too because I'm often getting chilly and then I just have it in my box to just put on. It’s living here. 

What is the most unexpected item in your box?

The most unexpected would be this flower my son gave me from kindergarten. When he made it, he gave it to me and said I should bring it to work.  

Does it inspire you?

Yes, the materials and colors he chose are very unexpected. And I find that really cool because we are doing a lot of color material. So you have this different haptics on different fluffiness with different colors coming together and random colors, I dunno, he just gave it to me and it's living in there since then.

Is there something in your box that you couldn't work without?

I have a bunch of pencils and I actually also have a sketchbook, but as you can imagine, I'm not getting to sketch a lot in my current role. But I am used to sketching, so I have it handy.

Then, I have a lot of snacks here too. I have granola bars and I also have this snack from Vietnam that I really love. With one of our material developers, Nora, we found this snack and we absolutely loved it. So I have to get more of this when I'm there next. I also give snacks out, by the way. I had two entire boxes of the bars last week. It's a good way to make friends.

If your box could represent your design philosophy, how would you describe it?

Minimalist. I think it's very functional. I think all the things that I have in here, except maybe the flower from my son, are functional. I need to do sports; I need to have a sketchbook; I have to have my helmet. I have my functional jacket. I don't collect things to keep in here. 

Does it evolve as you have different projects or is it mostly like this?

It’s really my personal box. I don't put work stuff in it because I think that's too chaotic. Those things live somewhere else. So if I take things from the material board, I either bring them back or I put them in the box for the project.

When it comes to the need for sports, for example, how does that play into your routine?

I believe that it’s needed for your mental stability and even if life gets very busy, then I think it’s good to make time for it. I'm also a mom and I'm busy in my work – there's a lot going on and I think you need to especially then do sports. So it's good to keep these things here, then I don't have an excuse.

What haven’t you shown us yet? 

I have some other stuff in here actually – binoculars, for example. We had an offsite, the leadership offsite and we had to bring things that show what you want to do with your team. And I said, I want to look ahead. It's a nice memory.

So, what is your favorite item from the box? 

I think, actually, it is my sketchbook. Or, maybe it's this classic photo strip of my son. I really, really love this. When I moved here 21 years ago now, there were all of these photo booths all over town. Now there's only one or two left. From the time I studied here, my entire twenties, into my entire thirties. I have tons of those. And now I have ones from my son as he's growing. I think that's also so cool to see. And this was the first one he did alone.

Super nice. Ok, if your box was a different color, what color would it be?

Oh, that's a good question. Probably green. I’m thinking of what I often wear – black, green or white. I don't wear a lot of colors even though I work with colors, because for me, color for also often it's very seasonal and then I get very quickly bored of it.

I was inclined to say black but then it's very industrial so I feel it should actually have a color. 

Is there anything we haven't looked at that you want to share?

No, I feel that my box doesn’t have too much. I mean, there’s my son’s art and picture and the snacks, but the rest is really functional.

It sounds like you like to keep a clear mind.

Yes, my desk is like this. And even if I work at home, I would have to have everything organized and then I can work the best.