Our PR-guy and me were invited to a Bayern home match. After the game, we would be meeting with Philipp briefly. When it was over we were shown into a lounge with all kinds of important people. Arjen Robben, a new addition to the team, was on a stage doing an interview, and we were sat at a table waiting for Philipp. I had just witnessed him lead his team in front of 76,000 fans in the Allianz Arena. After a couple of minutes he suddenly joined us at the table, sports bag under his arm, wearing a track suit, his hair wet and his face still blushing from the match. Philipp ordered a diet coke and we chatted a bit about the match as well as the previous day's photo shoot.

That transformation from superstar on the field to down-to-earth athlete impressed me. It felt like my neighbour just came home from football practice. If you're able to stay so grounded in the midst of all that madness, that says something about you as a person. Not that that was completely new to me of course. One of the most important reasons to work with Philipp was the work he was doing with his charity. Philipp supports children who grow up in difficult environments, and didn't avoid to discuss topics that other footballers would shy away from.

One of those sensitive topics was the AIDS situation in Africa. At Philipp’s request, the entire earnings of the cooperation were donated to the German AIDS foundation. For that reason, we presented the shoe we made for Philipp on December 1st, World AIDS Day. Because of the launch date being in December, we opted for a sleek black patent leather shoe, perfect for the holiday season."