I started customizing 3/4 years ago. I started it to get more individual and exclusive Sneakers. First I heard about it in Complex Magazin and I bought some Methamphibian and SBTG Kicks.

I was thinking aout that and decide to make my own ones. So I started to do this. The label is Pats83 and I’m working with the Name Champate. Some words on my psydonym Champate:

The first part is Cham - it is from Chameleon, because this reptile arrange itself to his environment, like I do it with the shoes for their owners. The second part is pate - it is from pupate, the process of eruca becoming a butterfly. It is like the process the base model becomes an individual custom shoe.

I’m open for personal orders. Just send me a mail and we sort everthing out. If you have some ideas you want tell them to me, but you have to undestand that there will be personal influences, because I want to “tell a story” with my shoes and so it is very important to me that everybody sees that this shoe is made by me. As you see on my models much things a possible and there are many more things to make.

Just ask me! You will get a blueprint, so we can figure out, if you like it or we have to make some changes.
I’m also open for orders by stores and shops - small series of a pair or something like that. All shoes are original, but they are customized by myself!!!

And I have no special style to make my shoes. I just want to tell a story with my shoes like interprating poetry - it is ART!

When this all started only like 6 months ago, we were serving strictly NY and NJ, we were lucky and had a lot of celebrity clients early. That helped to back up our name, now I’m seeing the more competitive side of this whole custom game.

It’s added flame to our fire and now we are out to be the best, we are making our money so now we want that title. Usually you see companys that want one, well we’re here to show you just how sick customs can get. Everyone who visits our site can see our famous customers, new styles and they can purchase straight through there.

I hope our styles interest you, but you haven’t seen anything yet. All of our stuff is only 6 months old, everyday we’re in the lab cooking up something new and trust me your all gunna flip when you see whats coming…

Chef is an up and coming sneaker customizer who has been receiving a generous amount of press lately for his custom venture called GourmetKickz “food for the sole”.

He has been customizing for 4 years now and has done work for Chris Brown, Rick Ro$$, Gilyard Clothing MFG, some MTV staffers, and Super Stylist Groovy Lou. Chef is a New Haven, CT resident and is trying to bring a new “flavor”
to sneaker customization by creating a site that likens sneakers to food.

Gourmetkickz is the best term that can be used to describe Chef’s creations. With true attention to detail, a focus on deconstruction and the use of fine fabrics, Chef’s dishes make for a very nutritous meal to any red blooded
sneaker glutton.

Customizing sneakers is a passion that evolved from Chef’s deep love for the culture. An Ivy League drop out and having found success in sales industries spanning auto sales to mortgage banking, Chef has never before been as happy as he is customizing sneakers. Years after battling a deadly form of bone cancer and struggling to find happiness that he only knew before his illness, the sneaker culture helped Chef find his sole again.

Giving back to the culture which has given him so much happiness is Chef’s number 1 priority. Being innovative in his designs, breaking the norm, and pushing boundaries in the areas of deconstruction and exotic materials is
Chef’s direction for Gourmetkickz.

Chef has some big things planned for 07. He is the inventor of a device which prevents sneakers from creasing! His invention is currently patent pending with the USPTO. In a show of appreciation to the sneaker
culture Chef has even gone as far as to give a DIY version of his invention away in several online sneaker forums in the form of a detailed tutorial. By great demand he has also begun to mass produce his invention
and is looking for beta testers who would like to receive a promo sample of the device in exchange for their opinions. His beta tester sign up list is located at www.gotcrease.com.
Got Crease? Not Anymore!!!

Also big for 07 is a project Chef is working on with Mix CD juggernaut www.mixunit.com. His customs will soon be available on mixunit and soon to follow will be a collaborative site featuring nothing but custom kicks. Chef
plans to introduce a brand new platform for sneaker customs to the world with the help of www.mixunit.com.

Look out for Chef in the AF1 issue of SoleCollector magazine. Other recent press includes his front page appearance in The New Haven Register, his 5 minute news expose on FOX 61 News, his 2 page article from The Boston Globe.

The whole sneaker culture is growing and so is the community of sneaker customizers. While there are great forums for customizers a central place for news and new releases was missing. Customsnkr.com was created to fill this gap.

Instead of creating a single blog customsnkr.com is a multiblogging plattform that offers free blogs to customizers. Customizers can contribute to the “Community Blog”, show or sell their artwork in the “Latest Customs” section and share their knowledge in the “Customization Help” section besides having an own blog. Every blog comes with an integrated Flickr photogallery to display the latest customs of each designer.

I started Kick Factory 2 years ago. I specialize in hand painted sneakers with different concepts ranging from bumble beez to molecules interacting all over the shoe.

I just took home the trophy for best custom themed shoe at the international sneaker battle in Atlantic City for an air force one with the black last supper painted on it. I created a myspace page just so I could give people a sense of what type of art I’m doing on sneakers. My website is coming soon, but until the meantime you can visit my myspace page at www.myspace.com/Kick_Factory, and rate the shoes yourself. Please leave comments, because I appreciate the feedback from the people.

Graf1n’ Squad aka “Da CustoMastaZ” is an artistic duo of two graffers, from Geneva, who were painting anything they could put their hands on, decided one day: ” Hey why not do it on some shoes too?”, and this is how they created “Pimp my shoes”.

They kinda think they’re “the realest” because their prices are pathetic, and they don’t do it for cash but only for the love of what they do. They customize as well as brand new shoes, to make them look even better, old dirty shoes, to make them relive. In their hood they’re some sort of “Custom Supa Stars”, and they’d like to show what they do but it’s hard to find places willing to expose them where they live, so they do it on the internet.
(thx for the introduction guys!)

Astoria VIII was formed by 2 Brothers in early 2005 and is dedicated to designing custom, unique sneaker art. All work is hand painted with precise attention to detail by DLV.

Our focus is to create the most aesthetically inimitable works, using only the finest quality materials to ensure our work is of the highest standard possible.

DLV was born in 1988 and has spent the majority of his life involved with and creating art.
In addition to hand painting every piece available on the site, DLV is also involved in the design process along with his elder brother J.H.A.
All forms of art are used as inspiration for the works created and together we aim to produce pieces which reflect individuality and a progression from those who have preceded us.

Astoria VIII has also chosen to forge relationships with select entities, most notably Melbourne basketball icon KICKZ101 through whom we produce exclusive works for sale and display in store.

In the short period Astoria VIII has been established, we have had our work featured by various publications and media outlets and are also currently on tour with the world renowned Sneaker Pimps.
Our sneakers have also been worn by professional athletes for whom we have designed one off pieces in conjunction with their input.

All pieces on the site are available for sale unless specified.
If you have any questions or wish to order a customised shoe, please lodge a request via our website and we will collaborate on creating your own unique piece.

Astoria VIII is primarily based in Sydney, Australia. In addition we also have a studio in Melbourne.

Artistic Sole is a customizing business in the DC area. A husband & wife team - A.S. has joined the forces of the local sneaker community in hopes of helping change the area’s sneaker game.

In doing so, Artistic Sole seeks to apply some of the hottest tattoo-inspired art in sneaker customization (being as though one of the owners is a tattoo artist). Though we seek to do custom tattoo-inspired sneakers, we can do almost anythin you want (that looks cool) … and even if your idea isn’t cool … we’ll make it cool! POINT BLANK!

BaysiccDesigns is based in the Bay Area, California. We customize sneakers a little differently than everyone else.

We are just two guys that had an idea for our sisters’ birthday to give her some glitter shoes. Next thing you know everyone wants a pair. We really didnt customize shoes before but now we are really into it. Since so many people wanted them, we decided to expand and go online and now its hittin the streets everywhere. Some cant see themselves wearing glitter made shoes, while others “Go Crazy” over them.
(thx for your review Kyle)

Comment from us: Your recent Pumas are sick!!! Keep it up!

Damn nice to see stores like this. HolyZapatos could run under the title “sneaker craft store”. Lots of customs and some streetart over there.

Chicago’s finest customs with lots of content above and beyon the cookie cutter custom sites. Fall clearance sale is now on with tons of SB’s and other goodies in the store and links to the HolyZapatos! eBay store.

Also check out holyzapatos.blogspot.com for all kinds of Chicago sneaker and art news.
(Thx for your review Michael)