To the casual Instagramer it may appear that sneaker customization is the “new thing”, when in reality that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Sneaker customizer’s like Elom Bowman of Ecentrik Artistry have been doing this for years, building portfolios of custom work that could easily fill a gallery space. With that consistent creation comes an occasional feeling of dismay when it comes time to send away a design for a paying customer to enjoy. Usually there is a good chance that customizer could just recreate his or her design for themselves to cherish. But if not thank goodness for photos to look back on, right?
To kick off a new segment we reached out to Elom to share his FAV 5 from all of his past customizations. Check the list below, that is in no particular order, of pairs that have stood out to Elom over the years of creating custom sneakers with a very consistent aesthetic.
Air Force One “What Happened To Love”
Probably my most personal pair to date. They say that some of the best work of an artist comes from pain & frustration. Basically my frustration with an experience or two with love/relationships is what gave birth to this shoe. It may not be noticeable on this pic but throughout the shoe it has words like “pride”, “ego”, “deceit”, & “lies”….things that can affect any relationship in a negative way.
Air Max 90 “Samurai’s Blade”
“I’m a big fan of martial arts and anime and just wanted to do something with that theme….something that automatically reminds people of Japanese culture and samurai warriors. I even did a custom figure to match the shoes.”
Air Max 90 “Coffee and Donuts”
“I just wanted to do something really fun that most people can relate to…..I mean, who doesn’t from time to time have a sweet tooth? I thought that a pastry theme would be something that would go over well and this shoe caught on pretty well when it first dropped.”
Air Jordan 3 “Hot Nights In Miami”
“I’m a fan of the Lebron “South Beach” colorways but wanted to do something that incorporates the colorway of one of the Lebron shoes but add my own touch to it, hence the pattern designs. (sidenote: I was going to include the Jordan “South Beach” 4s I did last year because it was a huge turning point for me business-wise but went with these because while it has the same colorway I like the design better with these).”
Air Force One “Tropical Sunset”
“Summer is my favorite season and I wanted to do a shoe that perfectly represented it & automatically made people think of summer when they first saw it. Visuals of palm trees, beaches, and sunsets automatically put people in that mindset of fun times in the summer.”
Elom likely won’t recreate any of these customizations but you can contact him for your own via: EcentrikArt.net and follow him on Twitter: @EcentrikShoeArt and Instagram: @EcentrikArtistry