YO! I’m Mike Sturge—an industrial designer and lifelong sneakerhead based in Portland, Oregon. While my family jokes that I spend all day sketching shoes… they’re not entirely wrong. But I design much more than that. (Also, shoutout to cereal—the unsung hero of all-day meals.)
My journey into design started in an unexpected way. In fifth grade, my football coach, Steve Thompson, introduced me to Adobe Creative Cloud. That access sparked years of experimentation with Photoshop—color correction, image manipulation, and, eventually, dreaming up new colorways for my favorite sneakers. I wasn't just editing—I was storytelling through design.
When a life-threatening injury ended my sports career in high school, I had to pivot. In 2013, I founded LeftCoastLaced, a brand built to help athletes—pros and weekend warriors alike—express themselves through custom footwear. That project kept me tethered to the world of sport and competition, and deepened my love for design as a powerful tool for personal expression.
Driven to make an even greater impact, I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the Art Institute of Portland, graduating in 2018. Since then, I’ve continued to explore the intersection of sport, culture, and storytelling through thoughtful, performance-driven footwear design.
CV available upon request.