Meet recent Detroit transplant Daniel Caudill. As Shinola’s Creative Director, it’s no exaggeration to say that even the most seemingly minute detail of Shinola begins with him.
Although everything at Shinola is the result of collaboration, it’s safe to say that none of it would exist without Daniel’s enthusiasm and imagination. We’re lucky to have him, and the story of how he came to us is a long one (but we’ll keep it short).
Born in Trinidad & Tobago and raised in Montana, Daniel eventually wound up in L.A. and attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. After school, he became the Apparel Designer at L.A. Gear, then the Global Product Designer at Adidas, helping to take a then-small company to a global audience. From there he moved on to styling photo shoots for music videos and commercials, eventually becoming a design consultant for major American brands. Consulting brought him to Dallas, which is where he began to fill in the details of the Shinola vision when the company was just an idea among a handful of friends.
Now he’s living out that Shinola vision in Detroit, and he’s incredibly excited about being here. In fact, Daniel was behind the scenes pushing for the move to Detroit from the very beginning. And why is that? Well, we asked him: “There are certain cities or places that undergo truly pivotal moments, moments that history will look back on. I believe this is one of those moments in Detroit—and to be able to experience it firsthand and to participate in it…well, if you’re not excited about that prospect, then maybe you should check your pulse.”
We think that says it all.