Khanversations — Elizabeth & Vivek
A conversation about sneakers, fashion, and capitalism.
Tell us a little about yourself and your role at Khan Academy.
EL: I’m Elizabeth 👋🏼! I’ve been a product designer at Khan Academy for almost four years. During my time here I’ve worked on almost every part of the product. Most recently, I designed the classroom experience that enables teachers to find and fill student gaps in knowledge in engaging ways! I also always try to sneak confetti and emojis into every project we work on 🤫
VV: I’m Vivek 👋🏾, a design manager at Khan Academy! The team I’m a part of works on the learner experience. We try to answer questions like “What does the most efficacious and engaging learning experience look like for students who are in the classroom or learning on their own?”
What’s something you both have in common?
EL: Both of us are passionate about fashion in different ways. I love high fashion and Vivek loves sneakers! Vivek, how did you get into sneakers?
V: Yeah! I’ve always been a huge NBA basketball fan. The NBA heavily influences sneaker culture and vice versa! I find the aesthetics, technology, and the evolution of trends (i.e. how “dad sneakers” are really in right now) really fascinating. Fashion, basketball, and sneakers are so intertwined these days. Some NBA players are even wearing high fashion sneakers in games!
EL: What’s your most prized sneaker?
VV: My most prized sneaker is the LeBron Icon, a collaboration between LeBron James and fashion designer John Elliott. They took one of LeBron’s signature basketball sneakers from about 10 years ago and reimagined it as a lifestyle shoe. That repurposing/reimagining is really interesting to me. It’s comfortable and stylish!
EL: There are so many choices now with collaborations dropping on a weekly basis! How do you go about picking sneakers?
VV: Certain silhouettes are really attractive to me right now — high tops especially. I also like to own sneakers with an interesting backstory or ones that are designed with a political or social message at the forefront.
VV: Tell me more about your interest in fashion!
EL: My first introduction was in middle school when my mom traded extra airline points in for a Teen Vogue subscription. Growing up in Iowa City, Iowa, it was a new world that I hadn’t explored. Now, I’ve become more interested in the critical theory and history of fashion. Outside of work, I started to work on fashion-related projects about the average runway model and how it differs amongst fashion designers of color.
VV: Who is your ultimate fashion inspiration — either a designer or someone whose style you really appreciate?
EL: Definitely Alexander McQueen. Growing up, I watched all his shows on YouTube and memorized the names of each one. My favorite runway moment of all time was the finale of №13 with the choreographed robotic arms. He really combined art, fashion, tech, emotion, and story all into one experience.
In terms of style, I love Susie Lau. She’s one of the original fashion bloggers and I’m always amazed by her ability to combine pattern, texture, and color in a whimsical way. I wish I could replicate her closet 😭
I’ve also been trying to follow more emerging designers recently! You should definitely check out @carolineqiqi and @mukzin_official.
EL: Who’s your ultimate fashion inspiration?
VV: Because it’s NBA season, it’s mostly NBA players right now! The typical pregame outfit is no longer a poorly fitting grey suit, but is instead a combination of high fashion streetwear, rare sneakers, and curated accessories! One of my favorites is PJ Tucker from the Houston Rockets. You can catch him in some ripped jeans and a sweater one one day and shirtless in a bright purple Dior suit the next.
How’d you get into design?
EL: Growing up, I was always doing random projects from coding my own library catalog to crafting my own chair. At the time, I didn’t know that my projects were “design”, I was just making things for fun.
I like to say that Neopets got me into web design and development. I used to create my own pet pages and customize my own graphics using MS Paint. When it came time to apply to colleges, my parents encouraged me to study computer science over going to art school for graphic design. Through studying computer science, I discovered the field of interaction design and loved how it was both creative and technical.
EL: What about you?
VV: I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing cartoons. In middle and high school, I started getting really interested in designing sneakers (surprise, surprise). But, going into college, a career in art never felt viable. So, I opted to study business. After working in that world for a couple of years, I realized it wasn’t for me. At that same time, I was playing in a band that couldn’t afford to pay an artist to design merch or album art for us. So, I taught myself some Photoshop to help us and friends make some of that stuff. From there, I was just catapulted into the design world. I got into print and graphic design first and then eventually into web and product design. I was so thrilled to be able to use creativity to solve problems. Haven’t looked back since!
EL: If you weren’t a designer what would you be doing right now?
VV: Maybe something in radical politics? I like to believe I’d be involved in some sort of grass roots organizing to enact social and political change. That being said, I should be doing more of this now too.
VV: What about you?
EL: I’d probably be doing a combination of fashion and event planning. I love running around and last-minute problem solving, and both industries have a lot of each. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a stylist for fashion editorials and spreads. In terms of event planning, I want to create untraditional places and events that allow people to have conversations about culture and art. Many stories today aren’t told and I really want to make those voices heard.
What does the design world need more of?
VV: I’ll start with the reverse. I think the design world needs fewer people exclusively discussing if “designers should code?” or the details of a design system, etc. Those discussions are useful, but not if they’re the only discussions you’re having. I think the design world needs more people doing the following three things: (1) Vocally critiquing the existing economic and political systems that severely marginalize people (and how we as designers contribute to it), (2) actively questioning if what they’re building is making the world any better, and (3) pressuring their hiring managers to build a truly diverse and inclusive team.
EL: I 100% agree. The design world is really obsessed with following guidelines and rules that some Silicon Valley person created. No one is really questioning these guidelines. I just wish designers would question things more often. Is what I’m doing a net positive? Or am I just making people scroll a feed of ads? I wish more people would think critically about the implications of their work as opposed to the color of a button.
What’s something you’ve been learning about recently?
EL: I’ve been trying to learn origami recently! I love how it’s both a puzzle and an art form. My eventual goal is to combine origami and fashion together through making garments and accessories!
VV: I’ve never thought about those things being super related! Tell me more.
EL: There are a lot of fashion designers who experiment with folding cloth like Issey Miyake. It’s pretty mathematical, but the shapes that turn out at the end are really beautiful.
EL: What are you trying to learn?
VV: I’m currently spending a lot of my free time researching radical politics. More specifically, I’m learning about viable alternatives to capitalism. At the moment, I’m reading a book called “Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism” by Marxian Economist, Richard Wolff. The book outlines the problems with capitalism and thoughtfully presents a case for an alternative system in which workers direct their own workplaces. He helps the reader imagine a world in which boards of directors and executives don’t exclusively have decision-making rights (which often further marginalizes the lowest paid workers), but instead every employee’s say mattered equally. I was turned on to this book by the Black Socialists of America, an organization dedicated to building an international socialist movement. They’ve got some great resources for folks interested in learning more about leftist politics.
Khanversations are a series of dialogues between designers at Khan Academy.
P.S. We’re hiring, if you’re interested, check out our job listings!
Links to the series
👉🏽 Here’s May-Li’s introduction to the series, including a list of all the countries that were involved in our formation.
👉🏽 Louis and Erica on rearranging the furniture, skeuomorphic icons, working in the federal government and more
👉🏽 Cassey and Jacob on how neuropsychology, being an executive assistant, and not wanting to draw Mickey Mouse 1000 times could lead to a career in design
👉🏽 Priya and May-Li in conversation about Hypercard, Mariah Carey, and Priya’s inspiring journey from being a receptionist to being a product designer
