Behind the Design: Renault’s Laurens van den Acker

Renault Group Design director, Laurens van den Acker, is well known for revolutionising the French brand but he’s equally famous for his love for sneakers. And not just his own collection of shoes, but every concept car he designs comes with its matching pair of sneakers. Van den Acker explains the links between a car and sneakers and what it is like to be a car designer.

Laurens van den Acker with the sneakers he designed for the new Captur (right). Photo: Groupe Renault

Customisation is a key trend today. Why has it become so important?

There has always been a certain pressure to conform, mixed with the desire to assert one’s personality. The phenomenon is even stronger with designers, as people expect them to have their own personal stamp.

If designers want to leave their mark, they need to develop their specificity. They are appreciated for the way they see the world. Designers intuitively embody this desire.

With sneakers, comfort is key. At a motor show, where you have to walk miles, you want the most comfortable shoes. But the real reason goes back to when I started out in my career. When I started working and wore my first suits, I felt like I was stepping into the skin of my father. Sneakers were a way for me to express a somewhat sportier personality. They are also a highly visible aspect that I can play with.

The new Renault Captur comes in Atacama Orange (above). Photo: Groupe Renault

Thanks to its two-tone roof, the Renault Captur is available with 90 possible exterior combinations. How are new colours imagined?

The vocation of a designer is to make life more beautiful. And this starts with colours. They have to radiate. At Renault, we play with colour as a strong aspect of our brand’s identity, our aim being to make the streets more colourful. We look for warm and lively colours. The Atacama Orange shade on New Captur is a good illustration. The advantage of a customisable car is that it can take on a broad palette of colours. The body shape was designed so that light could play an important role. We are influenced by trends, and notably what we see in the fashion world.

There are far more links between shoes and cars than you might think at first. The sole is a little bit like the segment of the car (urban, go-anywhere, etc.), the shoe top a bit like the body, and the laces are the signature of the shoe, like grilles on cars. There is a natural connection between the two. People often talk about the influence of architecture on cars, but the link is even closer with shoes. For example, brands are placed on shoes as they are on cars. Shoes are seemingly simple objects but communicate a lot of different things. It is often said that you should look at a person’s watch and shoes to find out more about their personality.

A close up of the sneakers created by Laurens van den Acker for the Captur. Photo Groupe Renault

 Is it easier to customise sneakers or a car?

When you design a car to be customisable, the game becomes configuring your own. And the same applies to shoes. Also, not all models are customizable; you need a shoe with a fairly basic design for it to work – otherwise it gets too complicated, one layer too many. Special attention needs to be paid to proportions and graphics.

 Isn’t it frustrating to only be able to play on colours and materials?

Creativity needs limits. If not, you become an artist. It is a personal challenge for me to use the same type of shoe and each time invent a new customisation.

Laurens van den Acker’s sneakers for the Zoe. Photo: Groupe Renault

Can customising a shoe interior be similar to customising a vehicle interior?

Conceptually, yes, it is entirely possible. But I’m not sure that a see-through shoe is very attractive. That said, the interior of a shoe should not be under-estimated, even if you don’t see it. First, you obviously see it when putting your shoe on. And it also reminds me of the presentation of a bag by Coco Chanel. Inside it was very beautiful, superbly finished, almost a surprise each time you opened it. It was an intention; to create complicity between the person and their bag, something that no one else knows. It’s interesting.

 What’s the difference between a car designer and a shoe designer?

Taking the example of architects, you very often see their personal stamp in the buildings they create. Just look at Frank Gehry – you recognise his creations. It’s the same in fashion. You can tell Jean-Paul Gaultier apart from another designer. It’s important as a designer to have your own signature.

But it’s different in the automotive industry, because you work for a brand. Your work is a success if people recognise the brand, not your style. But this doesn’t mean you can’t put your personality into the vehicles you design.

Laurens van den Acker admires his Capture sneakers made by Le Coq Sportif. Photo: Groupe Renault

Wearing remarkable shoes or accessories gives you extra personal expression. I became a designer because I had a Ferrari poster in my room when I was a child, and I said to myself that I wanted to design and drive cars like that. It was a dream.

When you create cars, you discover that you touch on numerous design disciplines. With cars, you create 500 products at the same time. All design forms are included: product design, architectural design, sculpture, work on colours and materials, light, furniture, technology, and so on. Automotive design is the perfect world because you encapsulate all possible forms of design. This is what makes it attractive. It’s complicated but fascinating. And this is why the difference between cars and sneakers is not that great. We already integrate this segment into our designs.

Interview courtesy of Groupe Renault