If you’ve been wondering how some customizers have been adding special patches to their customizations here is your answer: Herbjuice. If you know the name you’ve likely come across his work on the aforementioned sneaker customizers or his patches of Air Jordan and Nike silhouettes posted all over Instagram. With his growing popularity in the custom scene we had to get more info on how Herbjuice’s whole production came about. So read below to see what has happened and what might be next.
PorT: Sometime last year I came across your embroidered sneaker patches on Instagram: @HerbJuice. After seeing stickers, keychains, mini sneakers for years I thought those are pretty cool. How did you get started making these? Did you already have embroidery experience and decided to stitch up another passion of yours?
HerbJuice: About three years ago I noticed the growing trend of custom work and the huge demand for individuality on clothing and other accessories, one of the markets being Etsy. The “handmade” look that I loved was expensive and I started watching videos and reading blogs/books about DIY-ing and creating my own add-ons with stencils, spray paint and stitching. One night I saw an infomercial on an embroidery machine and started doing some research about it. I bought a lower-end machine and started playing with the settings and designs. My very first patches were based on the popular Call of Duty: Blacks Ops. I started selling them on eBay and soon after I also listed Modern Welfare and Black Ops II patches.
I have always had a passion for sneakers and started making a few shoe patches for fun. I had a few requests and when the demand kept increasing the limitations of my machine and design software were more noticeable. I began researching for a new machine that would yield more detailed work and better quality. During the process, several things changed: the fabric type, the cutting method and the detail of each and every single patch. All the designs were done from scratch when I swapped machine. I had the opportunity to work with a few customizers and the patch making business really took off after that. Prior to this, I had no experience in this field but I’m glad I took the plunge and tried something new.
Shortly after you caught fire with the sneaker silhouettes I saw your patches as an addition to a pair of custom sneakers. Who was the first customizer you worked with and what pair were they?
The very first pair of patches I made for a customizer were the Kanye West Bear for Mache Custom Kicks. It was an honor working with Mache and for him to notice my work . He took a huge leap of faith when he contacted me as I had never worked with a customizer before. I would always be grateful for the confidence he put on my work. After that, I continued to work with Mache for the Big Bangs, the Devastators, Mrs Future Mache, LebronBoutins His & Hers, Box Out Kid and most recently Iron Man.
After that I know a few customizers must have given you a call to help add details to their customs. Who have you worked with and what were the designs?
I also had the pleasure to work with JP Custom Kicks, Dr. Foamz, Twizz Customs, PKZuniga, among other customizers. The following are the most recent projects I have worked on. I’m very grateful to these customizers for their support of my craft.
JP Custom Kicks Hulk Theme Lebron X.
JP Custom Kicks Oregon State Foamposites
Dr Foamz SMYFH Custom South Beach and SMYFH Glow in the Dark Foamposite, Heath Ledger Joker Custom Foamposite and Rutgers Custom Foamposite.
PKZUNIGA Wutang New Balance Custom.
Twizz Customs Lebron 9 Big Bang using the Lebron 9 Galaxy Mission patch.
The coolest story probably has to be the Starks Industries tongue tab patch for the Lebron X Iron Man created by Mache Customs. But what has been your favorite or one you are proud to brag about having helped create a cool custom sneaker?
I think the coolest thing was when one of my supporters tag me to check out Lebron’s tweet about the Devastators created by Mache. Till this day I remember I couldn’t believe one of my NBA idols had just seen and wanted something I had been a part of. After that, Lebron got in contact with Mache and had him create the one of a kind pair of shoes with the Stark Tongue Tags. I can honestly say it’s by far one of my proudest moments, nothing beats that feeling.
Of the sneaker patches which is the best seller(s)?
Jordan Bred 11
With growing attention I’m assuming you might have gotten some weird requests…..any funny ones stand out that you can share?
No weird requests yet…
Do you have any cool projects coming up that you could share or hint about?
A few projects are coming up… Here’s the sneak peak of an exclusive custom Fred Flintstone patch requested by a good friend and supporter @big_cat_50 for his custom sneakers in the works by another customizer. I will post more details, the picture of the patch and the final project as soon as they become available.
Lastly where can sneaker customizers interested in your patch services contact you or see more of your work online?
Instagram @herbjuice
Twitter @herbjuice
E-mail [email protected]
Etsy Store HerbjuiceProductions
BIG THANKS to Herby aka Herbjuice for taking time to answer our questions and share some photos. Let us know if you work with Herbjuice to add some detail flavor to your next custom!