Running with Color: Kraken + Brooks Shoe Design

For Brooks shoe designer Jennifer Fuson, color has always, well, colored her professional dreams.

“I went to school for graphic design, but I was most of all drawn to trends in color,” said Fuson, senior manager of specialty concepts and lifestyle footwear design at Brooks. “My career path took me to where it was really specific to color, trend forecasting, and CMF, which is color, materials, and finishes.”

Where that deep drive for color takes Fuson this week is an exciting intersection of a newly designed Brooks running shoe and the Kraken’s beloved multi-blue palette on jerseys, hats, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, scarves, athletic shorts, and socks. We can now all get our hands and feet on a Kraken-themed version of Brooks’ Ghost 17 model with a custom design that will match any Kraken swag in your sporting wardrobe. The Thursday announcement kicks off the festivities for Saturday’s second annual Seattle Kraken 5K at Green Lake Park. You, family, and friends can still register to walk or run.

Where to start about just how cool the new shoe is? The vote here is on the anchor patches on the back outer heels of the new shoe, announced on Thursday and available for purchase on Monday at seattlehockeyteamstore.com. The base of the patch is the Ice Blue, the lighter shade of the hue that really pops in the now-iconic Kraken “S”. The anchor is a simple but strong Midnight Blue mark that will have any number of shoe owners raising their heels to check just how great it looks before starting their first run in the Ghost 17 model.

“I visited the Kraken store and I saw the anchor everywhere, right?” said Fuson during a recent conversation. “It is clearly a consumer favorite. Additionally, both of our brands are based in Seattle. The anchor speaks to a fisherman's history and that we live and work near the water. It opens the shoe design to new audiences, while for Kraken fans, the anchor overlay is one of the easter eggs you discover with the shoe.”

Selecting Universal Color, ‘Varsity-esque’ Play

Midnight blue uppers were Fuson’s choice, per being a “universal color,” popular with women and men. It concurrently provides the ideal shoe tongue backdrop for white laces that feel nautical to the touch and view, along with offering a razor-sharp contrast of an Ice-Blue-colored Brooks logo and a trio of Ice-Blue lace eyelets on each side of the footwear.

“It's always fun to have that kind of varsity-esque play of the rich blue,” said Fuson, who clearly had all sorts of fun moments over six months of hard work designing and building samples of the Kraken Ghost 17. “That was a big part of why we wanted to choose this kind of darker upper. Playing up the Ice-Blue components is super fun and connects well to the Kraken color scheme. Then, the little pop of red amplifies our brand and the Kraken story of the red glare of the eye.”

About Fuson’s mention of “easter eggs,” the Ghost 17 model happily – maybe not by mere coincidence? – has lower side soles that have three-dimensional ridged gradients that most definitely suggest Puget Sound waves. And here’s the best part: there are embedded Ice-Blue-turns-into-Midnight-Blue flares on the inner and outer lower soles that can easily be imagined as tentacles, even if that is not a direct intention of Fuson and her staff.

Popularity and Compatibility of ‘Ghost’ Model

If you're wondering about the “Ghost 17” designation, it’s because Brooks has long been committed to improving its shoe models each year as new technologies emerge. The first Ghost model debuted in 2008 as a shoe offering superior comfort and shock absorption. Models from 2011 through 2020 introduced innovations such as increased comfort, lighter materials, and enhanced versatility in the shoe’s capability, catering to novice through elite runners. Since 2021, Brooks has upgraded the Ghost model for “pinnacle performance” while still providing the comfort that has been part of the shoe’s appeal since Year 1.

“The Ghost is one of our most popular styles,” said Fuson. “It resonates really well with a broad consumer base. It is a great intro shoe for our first launch with Kraken. It's suitable for anyone who wants to try Brooks for the first time, and people of all ages are already running and walking in Brooks. It ticks all of the boxes we were hoping to achieve in the Kraken collaboration.

“Really, anyone can run in the Ghost model. It's a great support shoe. It's a neutral shoe with the breadth to appeal to a wide range of runners. Whether you're running a 5K or a 10k or the full marathon.”

Speaking of Running a 5K ...

If you are registered for Saturday’s Seattle Kraken 5K or plan to sign up or might consider running next fall’s 5K, let’s talk about some insights for race day from Danny Mackey, coach of the Brooks Beast Track Club. Mackey has coached an Olympian, a world record holder, an American record holder, a Scottish national record holder, and four world medal winners, among others.

For Saturday participants with little or no significant training: “The most common mistake 5K (3.1 miles) runners make is going out too fast. It’s almost 100 percent of the time if it’s your first 5K. Go out slower in that first mile, then you will know the reality of how much faster you might want to go in the second or third miles.

"For newbies who want to be part of race day (and get a super-cool t-shirt): “Plan to run-walk the race at whatever pace allows you to finish and enjoy the morning. Run a half-mile [there will be markers and water stations on the Green Lake course], then walk for a minute. Then repeat to cover the full distance.”

For Kraken fans interested in starting a running routine to register for next fall’s 5K in the Kraken-theme Brooks Ghost model: “I recommend two things. First, consider joining a running group or finding a regular running partner. Accountability is massive, and you can keep a conversation going during a social run while still becoming more fit. Second, consistency is key. In this case, consistency means starting three days a week. You may need six to eight weeks to feel the benefits and adjust to the consistency. Keep with it and you will be rewarded.”