Custom Sneakers
Rob-L
www.rob-l.com
A big part of Rob’s ethos is taking what’s around him and making something better from it - an idea that comes from Hip-Hop and is seen in various shapes and forms within that world.
Based in Bristol, South West England, Rob has been involved in underground creative culture for almost 20 years. In these circles everyone loves their trainers - for him it was always Puma Suedes & Clydes in particular.
He takes a very methodical approach to his work, and I always have one essential rule in mind - it’s got to look like a factory finish. He developed his own techniques of working with leather paint and ink. Initially he produced painted graphic work on white leather shoes, but as I was also collecting so many suede shoes it really intrigued to find out how to master that material too. Early experiments taught him that a solid-colour factory looking finish is quite hard to achieve on a ready-made suede shoe, so he began to experiment with smaller areas of colour and pattern to fill areas in, and this is how his current pattern work was born.
Rob has done some fantastic work is Puma & SoleHeaven are is a real superstar in the world of Custom Sneakers.
c2
www.c2customs.com
C2 has been painting for about 5 years and has received serious acclaim from several areas of the sneaker world. He was voted customiser of the year in 2004 & 2005.
His work also appeared in exhibitionsfor Sneaker Pimps & Soled out, not to mention the Niketown x Sole Collector comp in Chicago for “Best Customs”
All his work is hand painted and takes from 6hours to a full week to complete. Attention to detail is his main priority and you can see this in his work.
Sole Junkie
www.solejunkie.com
After a tough up bringing in the South Bronx Sole Junkie took himself off to Art College at California State in Long Beach. Since graduating he has exhitbited in several galleries including Gallery 33 East. His sneaker customs have appeared in Bounce Magazine, Brownpride, Footwear News & Vapors Mag to name but a few.
He tries to use all of his influences to design and paint works of art that can be worn and redefine sneaker culture. He uses his Latin heritage, love for Hip Hop and Music. Also the use of color and imagination to make statements as well as challenge aesthetics.
This is the same approach he takes to his canvas paintings and all of his art. It should spark a reaction. Whether negative or positive, evoke a thought and challenge the viewer to respond.
Sekure D
www.sekured.com
Sekure is a well known designer in Australia. Growing up surrounded by a culture that didn’t encourage his art Sekure covertly practiced his works for years before being contracted to co-ordinate the interior design and painting of various basketball and hip-hop shops within Melbourne.
His work began with web-graphics and custom signatures which enabled him to develop an attention to detail and patience which is required in the field of clothing customization. Being a dedicated collector of rare footwear Sekure has formed an appreciation of the importance of style, uniqueness and quality of finish that is required for a shoe to outlast current fashion and to surpass common trends or fads. This is why each design created is totally unique and thus you will own a one of a kind Sekure-D couture item.
Untamed by theme or style Sekure blends graphics, symbols and text within an underlying current of street art to craft a design based on the ideas conveyed by you or inspiration sought elsewhere.
Darkboy&Shoddy
darkboyandshoddy are two uk based artists, both graduating from art school and have set up as freelance artists. They have always been facinated by sneaker culture and design. It started in the eighties with the reebok pumps and leading on to the airmax. darkboy collects pumas and adidas while shoddy collects converse. Through their travels they have visited New York, Tokyo, Singapore aswell as most of europe checking out the latest trends, styles and networking.
Their work is totally hand painted and time scales vary but upto 20hours depending on complexity.
Jor One
Jor One is a unqiue designer and artist from New York City. This guy have a real sense of humour in his work. He adds loads of colour, exagerated cartoon style images along side strong urban references to the streets of NYC.
He’s doing sneaks, T-shirts, jackets and canvas work. He’s got skills!
