This project is alive only because I’m on a journey of exploring storytelling via traditional visual art on regular day to day items. I am continuously inspired by American artist, Mark Rothko in an effort to produce pieces that can be described as “self-contained units of human expression”.
1. Justin’s Pair — Nike Airforce 1 High
CUSTOM — A Milky Colourway.
CUSTOM Areas — The Shoe Body & Midsole.
DNA — The Nike Airforce 1s need no introduction. This pair came in an all-white finish & I absolutely loved free-styling it! The output is a milky-wavy hydro-dipped effect. Good vibes. Dynamic & spontaneous. I also highlighted the “stroke” & “AIR” on the midsole using a pearlescent 18k gold paint to give it that pop of quality. This is the shoe you want to go to your first post-COVID house party in!
Plug: Mogwai is a man of many plugs. He made this beautiful plug to house all his other plugs. Plug has left the chat.
2. Ope’s Pair — Nike Airforce 1 High
CUSTOM — A “Campaign Against Living Miserably” Statement.
CUSTOM Areas — The Shoe Body, Midsole & Shoelace.
DNA — Once again, the Nike Airforce 1s need no introduction. This pair came in an all-white finish also. The output is a piece of art that can act as a conversational-starter in a bid to raise awareness about CALM. So on June 26, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, I delivered this pair to Ope with a note including the importance of Mental Health to me.
On the left shoe, one half of the story, “Blue pills”, “Marijuana”, “Xanax” & a “smoking Cigarette” are all illustrated on it. The right shoe, the second half, carries the “Campaign Against Living Miserably” text & a half-visible crown. The Kings in us. Uneasy indeed lies the head that wears the crown. (I think this is the greatest anastrophe of all time 😂)
Highlighted on both shoes are the “stroke” & “AIR” on the midsole & Nike patch behind the shoe using a pearlescent 18k gold paint to give it that pop of quality & high-end finish again sitting below an otherwise reserved edgy-style colourway.
Fun fact: I really love the way the Cigarette I painted on the left shoe turned out considering I didn’t have any brush small enough for the task so I had to use a toothpick! Yup, I used a toothpick to paint the smoke being emitted by the cigarette 😅 If this ever gets worn here I hope he has a lot of non-SARS questions to answer with a smile. #EndSARS
Plug: Checkout Ope’s Wuruwuru project. For me, a beautiful job of documenting an amazing exploration. It’s literally the farthest thing away from “wuruwuru” 🤣 (CAC 👀).
3. Codebeast’s Pair — Nike Airforce 1 Low
CUSTOM — A “Black Lives Matter” Statement.
CUSTOM Areas — The Shoe Body & Midsole.
DNA — Okay okay! The Airforce 1 is an icon. And it is not easy to be an icon. “The Air Force 1 was produced in 1982 and discontinued in 1984. It was re-released in 1986 with the modern italic Nike logo with a Swoosh on the bottom on the back of the shoe. Little has changed to the Air Force One since its creation in 1982, although the original stitching on the side panels is no longer present in modern versions of the shoe. Since then, over 1,700 color variations have been produced, bringing in an estimated 800 million USD/year in revenue.” — Wikipedia. If you’re a hip-hop fan like me, you’ll agree that Nike is undeniably persistent in revolutionizing the classic Air Force 1 & these numbers wouldn’t surprise you.
Codebeast is my guy. One of the first people to hear about this painting idea & he put all the wind in my back. This AF1 pair came in an all-white finish again. The final output is a piece of art that highlights the beauty in diversity — the rainbow’s public secret. The colourway rocks vibrant colours. Active. That’s Codebeast 24/7. Recently he’s been spending most if not all of his time outside our motherland. #BlackLivesMatter.
The toecap is carrying a clenched fist if you look closely. The insides of both shoes are way more colourful than the outsides — a visual representation of “don’t judge a book by its cover” or shall I say, don’t judge a man by his skin? The swoosh on the insides are all-white — just how pure all our hearts were as kids. The swoosh on the outsides, painted black, are yelling “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice”. This is Codebeast showing off black pride as fiercely as he can. This is that acceptance & verification we spend a lifetime seeking. #Enough #HowManyMore
Behind both shoes, our history, “BLM” spelt out beneath the Nike badge completely covered in pearlescent 18k gold paint, Quavo-Friday-night-tour vibes. The “AIR” on both shoes are painted in black — “I can’t breathe”.
Fun fact: I think you can wear this shoe anywhere. A concert, a court hearing, to work, a rally, a date, the club, the beach. I may be biased though 😃 Someone tell Nike to call me still 😂
Plug: Checkout DJ Codebeast’s Twitch! No cookies for guessing what a Senior Microsoft Advocate is streaming 😂
4. Seyi’s Pair — Adidas Pro Bounce 2019
CUSTOM — A Kobe-Patch Colourway.
CUSTOM Areas — The Shoe Body & Shoelace.
DNA — The Adidas Pro Bounce is a very solid basketball shoe. It has great cushioning, protection on impact, ankle support & a 3-way traction for any court you want to hop on. NGL the quality of this bad boy really surprised me. This pair came in an all-white finish & I was originally supposed to paint a Rick n Morty artwork on it. Then Kobe’s accident happened. The days went by. Seyi & I, Purple & Gold we agreed on.
Fun fact: I tried so hard to put an 8 & 24 on both shoes unsuccessfully. I just couldn’t find a way past the textile-mesh exterior finish with both my Airbrush & Hand brush. I even tried spray painting it 😔 Epic Fail!
A couple of dope mentions.
5. Iman’s Console
CUSTOM — A “Scream” effect.
CUSTOM Areas — Top of the PlayStation & a gamepad.
DNA — This one? Vibes! I was itching to flex on a PS4. Preferably AceKYD’s. Preferably a Call of Duty artwork. MW4. That didn’t quite happen so I snatched at the opportunity to go wild on my brother’s. I achieved this bloody look & feel via hydro-dipping. This is going the splattered blood, gore & horror direction. Shades of Infamous. Shades of SOMA. Shades of Days Gone.
Fun fact: The gamepad actually feels like you’re holding an object covered in dried blood. Cold & contoured. You know I’m pissing myself if I ever visit him & decide to play Resident Evil at midnight 😂
6. Timi’s Pair
CUSTOM — A restoration process.
CUSTOM Areas — The whole shoe.
DNA — This was a restoration. I had to inject life back into the shoe & time travel back to its glory days. It’s very easy to assume this guy is just another regular Tennis shoe on the block because it looks so unassuming. Shocker, it’s not. The inner design & comfort is a story for another day. The fact that the materials, premium, can take a beating and some more while recording minimal wear is the bomb for me.
I started by hand-washing all the dirt out of the shoe & creases first. Then I put both shoes in protective gear & put them through 3 rounds (20 minutes each) of warm wash with an industrial cleansing agent in a washing machine. They were beginning to look good already at this point. Next, I then took off the factory finish on the shoe with a deglazer (acetone/nail polish remover) & repainted the whole shoe body with thin white coats of acrylic paint laying extra strokes in the creases. After this, I simply applied a high gloss acrylic finisher to serve the same functions as a factory finish. High gloss for that shine you see on her. She’s new again.
Fun fact: I couldn’t get Kanye’s “Bought a alligator, I ain’t talkin’ Lacoste” line out of my head throughout while working on this pair.
Plug: Checkout Timi’s startup, Buycoins. A YC backed fintech. New to crypto? Start here. Now what’s your excuse?
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