Munjen Ng - Chinatown Sneakerhead

 

Growing up in Chinatown, New York, my parents gave me career advice very early and very often. [audience laughter] They said, “Mun, whatever you don't study art. [audience laughter] You'll never find a job. You'll never make any money. You'll probably starve to death.” It sounds much worse when you say it in Chinese. [audience laughter] 

 

So, in 1996, I decided art school sounds like fun. [audience laughter] I enrolled in a place called Pratt up in Brooklyn. Yeah. [audience applause] 

 

I studied something called product design. That's where I met my friend, Evan. Evan was also from Chinatown, and he's Chinese. And the first time I met him, he wore a white sweatband bandana on his head, but it was tilted sideways. It had the Air Jordan logo on it, Nike basketball shorts and Air Jordan sneakers. When he wasn't drawing in class, he was playing basketball. 

 

We'd work late into the night, all the time at the studios. And then one night, he told me, “Mun, I think I know what I want to do with my life. All I want to do is design basketball shoes and work for Nike.” So, for a senior project, he designed a super futuristic basketball shoe. He took a block of foam and then he carved out the shape of the sole. Then he spent weeks cutting out the tread designs. He took some fabric and he sewed it all up and he glued it on top. The result was, it looks like something you would buy at a store. If any Chinese person could get a job in art and design, it would be Evan. But we graduated in 2000, right after the dotcom crash, and nobody was getting a job.

 

For seven months, all my friends sent out resumes and samples of their portfolios, and they didn't hear anything back. I sat in my bedroom and I drew the shades down. I remember thinking, oh man, I made a huge mistake. Maybe my parents were right. Maybe you can't have a career in art and design. Sometimes we attach our self-worth to our career. And if we don't ever have a career, then we think we're worthless. That's a bad thought to have when you're just 22. Bad thought any age. 

 

One day, sitting in my bedroom, I get a phone call. A design company I had sent my work to says, “Hey, Mun. We like your stuff. We don't have the budget for a full-time designer now. How about an internship?” I thought, an internship? I'm a graduate. [audience laughter] But honestly, after sitting in the dark for so long, I'd be happy just to get out of the house. I managed to ask them a question that my parents would be so proud of, “Does it pay?” [audience laughter] And they said, “Yeah, it pays $10.” “I'll take it.” [audience laughter] 

 

You should have seen me the next morning. My dad's like, “Where are you going?” I was like, “I'm going to work.” [audience laughter] I work pretty hard and I guess I make an impression. One of the designers comes up to me, says, “Mun, I don't know what's going to happen after this internship, but my friend works at a company and they're looking for a fulltime designer. Are you interested?” I'm like, “Yeah, of course. What is it?” He said, “The company is called AND1. They design basketball sneakers.” 

 

At that time, I would have loved a job just to prove my parents wrong. But I knew somebody that would have loved that job more than me. So, I called Evan and he freaked out. AND1 at that time was the hottest street basketball shoe company ever. He took all the designs he took and he sent them in. They loved it. They hired him on the spot. They loved him so much, they promoted him after a year and then they doubled his salary. He was now making more than my parents combined. 

 

Eventually, I got my own job. But now, I keep in contact with Evan. We talk about life, we talk about art and we talk about what it's like being a professional designer. [audience cheers and applause] 

 

One day, I get laid off. Evan hears about this and he calls me up. He says, “Mun, I know you don't know anything about footwear, but if you're willing to learn, I promise you we'll have so much fun.” I sent my stuff into AND1 and they hire me. Oh, my God, let me tell you about this job. [audience laughter] 

 

Evan and I traveled all around the world. We ate at the best restaurants. We played video games all afternoon. [audience laughter] When the mixtape players came in, Evan would challenge them to basketball. And in the middle of all that, I learned how to design footwear. 2014, Evan calls me up, he says, “Mun, you're never going to believe what just happened.” Evan works for Nike in the Jordan division. [audience laughter] [audience cheers and applause] 

 

He says, “Mun, [audience laughter] I just got out of a meeting with Michael Jordan, and he's telling me how much he loves the shoes I've designed for him. Thank you. If it wasn't for you 14 years ago, I would have never gotten that job.” I'm sitting in my design area and I just finished designing footwear for the US Navy SEALs. If it wasn't for Evan giving me the opportunity, I would have never been there. Evan and I are just two kids from Chinatown. We wanted a career in art and design. And because we helped each other out, here we are.