A designer at KEEN Footwear, Daniel Raes grew up in small town Iowa. When he was 11, he combined his interests in art and sneakers to pursue his dream of becoming a footwear designer. He set his sights on a degree in Industrial Design.
During his time at Iowa State University, Daniel worked at Footlocker to keep up with current trends and technologies. To increase his footwear knowledge, he attended the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy for a 4-week intensive class.
After graduation from Iowa State University he returned to PENSOLE for the World Sneaker Championship. This competition lead to a contract position at KEEN as a Technical Designer, and upon completion turned into a full time position for Daniel.
In his spare time he finds inspiration in animated movies and short films, especially Pixar. He uses that inspiration to write and illustrate his own short stories. Daniel also enjoys exploring Portland taking street photographs and sketching in the city’s numerous coffee shops. He uses all of these influences to supplement his creative process and to improve as a designer.