Is there any non-athlete that has a bigger impact on the sneaker world than Kanye West? The “Yeezy” colorway customs are rampant and non-news at this point but DMC Kicks gives a nod to West’s musical prowess of his 2005 single Gold Digger on this Air Jordan IV. These don’t entail a huge alteration as the starting base is still recognizable being the cement gray/white colorway of the AJ IV retro.
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Nike Air Max 1 “Dont Fuck With Texas” by Dank Customs
Do mess with Texas based customizer Jake of Dank Customs when it comes to customizing your favorite Nike Air Max retro. His latest customer request creation is full of the state of Texas pride. Starting with the red, white and blue colorway the midsoles were painted blue with black added to the groove lines. Upon the upper you see one of the better takes at recreating Nike’s elephant print with the black on gray design painted after being engraved. Red on the Swooshes and liners bring together the look.
Boston Strong Nike Air Force 1 Charity Auction by @FudaCustoms
After last month’s tragedy at the Boston Marathon Christian of Fuda Customs chose to use his growing customizing skills to show support of the bombings victims. He customized this originally all white Nike Air Force one with a skyline of downtown Boston, Massachusetts superimposed across a background of an American flag. Along the heels is the phrase “Boston Strong” in white lettering. The design is being auctioned off to be re-created in the winners size. All proceeds will be given to The One Fund Boston.
Nike LeBron 9 Elite “US Open” Tennis Ball by @TwizzCustoms
Darn Nike they really sure know how to upset “sneakerheads” these days. Having Lebron and Kevin Durant, their two biggest basketball athletes, post up samples that’ll never see the light of day in sneaker store shelves across America. The next option for those sneakerheads are customizers if you haven’t figured that out yet. Taking inspiration from the “tennis ball” Lebron 9 Elite that KingJames posted online Twizz Customs brightened up the Lebron 9 Elite in white and black in this “US Open” customization.
Adidas Superstars 80s “Dragons” Custom by @BenjiBlunt
Not much separates sneakers from the crowd more than a 1 of 1 custom design. Some customizers rely on small runs of multiple pairs usually lacking intricate detail while others make it their bread and butter to bring the detail in something only one person could have. Finally we’ve made the effort to share some of the involute of work from United Kingdom based sneaker customizer Benji Blunt in this adidas Superstar 80s titled Dragons.
Air Jordan XI low “CRÈME” Custom by @CaliKidDrew
The Air Jordan XI seems to be in a close competition with the Lebron X as the current it shoe among customizers(and their customers). With more releases this year scheduled and restocks of recent releases like the XI Playoffs aka “breds” we can only expect more customs. Times sure have changed as just as a few years ago most people would type in the comment sections “oh they are cool but people would think they are fakes, so I wouldn’t rock em.” But with such a complex and distinguished design the XI really only looks good with simple customization.
ComplexMag Art + Design: 20 Sneaker Customizers You Need To Know
The current amount of social media profiles that PaintOrThread follows that are considered “sneaker customizers” is over an average of 200 on each outlet. That total is growing everyday. Without some people choosing to customize regularly over years the hobby of customizing a pair of shoes by hand likely wouldn’t be able to be considered a topic for it’s own lane of art and design. In the past Complex’s lists dealing with sneaker customization have been a basket of mixed reactions but this one is likely the most accurate.
Air Jordan IV “LeJordan” White Fire Red by @FreakerSneaks
The current great will always be compared to Air Jordan. Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, and Kobe Bryant were the first few. Lebron came in with years of comparisons, so much that now kids coming in 10 years later are compared to Lebron. But will Lebron overcome Jordan or will he establish his own completely unique legacy?