Technology and art have joined together taking graphic design to new levels, but despite this artists still spend hours on end creating colorful images by hand combining different types of media, painting old fashioned chalk murals, portraits, and still lifes as a form of self-expression. In the sneaker industry unique art designs and themed collages are often created as a form of individual expression. According to Complex magazine, not only are custom sneakers all the rage they are also big business! According to NPD group market researchers retail sneakers make up to $29 billion dollars in the United States. 

Shoes enthusiasts love the idea that they can have shoes that were made especially for them - and they are willing to pay big bucks for them. Custom sneakers are shoes that are hand painted (and often commissioned) by the people who wear them. To their owners, they are as much of a statement of their identity as a custom crafted watch would be.  

The paint colors used on a sneaker are meticulously selected to portray a specific theme. According to Complex magazine, sneaker customizer, Dan Gamache had white Nike Air Max's that he wanted to paint. He went to his mother's basement and decided to paint a themed sneaker that was different shades of purple. Pleased with the finished product he went into his local barber shop to show it off. There, the hair stylists caught wind of his cool shoe and instantly wanted a pair. This jumpstarted his career in customization[1]. This also forever linked the barber shops culture to custom shoes.

Pictured: Top to bottom: Marcus Rivero,Chris Hui of C2 Customs, & Dan Machate of Mache Custom Kicks

So where did shoe customs come from anyway?

Shoe customization has been around for a long time and enjoyed by a wide range of people. From Lebron James' Iron Man themed Nikes from Mache Customs, to Kanye West's bulleted Nikes from Chris Hui at C2, these luxuries didn't just appear out of thin air. They have a history that dates way back to the 19th century, when footwear was first envisioned.

According to The Atlantic, sneakers, which were initially designed for tennis, have over the years been used as an outlet for self-expression of class, race, and overall identity[2]. Shoes were generally seen as a status symbol of wealth until the birth of mass culture made sneakers more readily available to all that could afford them.

Why Customs?

Once sneakers became more widely accessible, Shoe Enthusiasts had to find additional ways to stand out. Kicks on Fire says when sneakers are exclusive they are more costly than others because not as many people have them making them even more desirable.

Adding to this attitude against the mainstream, sneakers in the 19th century and today still hold a deeper cultural meaning for people who make and wear them. According to the Atlantic, sneakers, especially customs designs, are part of the continuous conversation when it comes to social and even political matters.

Politics & Shoes?

The expressive nature of sneakers in the vast world of politics is often displayed and challenged by the most daring customizers.

According to GQ, shoe customizer Marcus Rivero creates iconic kicks for athletes. His most known design was the pair he did for Football Player, Marshawn Lynch. The gold cleats worn at the NFC division championship game created debate around the shoe because the design was too obnoxiously distracting and went against their strict uniform policy. The player got the customs to in celebration of the championship game.

Rivero has also created designs in the heat of the black lives matter social movement from 2013 and beyond that fought against deaths from police brutality in African American communities. DeSean Jackson drawn to the chance to raise awareness wore Rivero's custom design with the message: "I Can't Breath" on the cleats.

People even took a political stance boycotting after Trump's election win. New Balance's VP of Public Affairs, expressed a political view that showed support for the new president's agendas. The result? People threw out their sneakers--literally! But they didn't stop there. To go that extra mile some consumers even burned them! According to cbs news' article, when the VP showed his support for Trump people were horrified. They thought that they could change the VP's viewpoint by posting videos and pictures of them defacing their sneakers.Others like Spike Lee revealed Anti-Trump designs like these shoes below.

Sneakers and Plastic Jars?

Funny you should ask...

Well, what is an amazing artist without amazing paint? And how is a paint supplier to stand out if not for their amazing packaging and product displays? Often cost sensitive artists are looking for painting supplies that are inexpensive, easy to use, reuse, store and display.

Our clear styrene plastic jars and clarified polypropylene plastic jars are perfect for showing off your unique color mixes, and what is even better is our screw top lids make the jars easy to open and close, use and reuse. Not to mention, we manufacture our plastic jars in over 150+ sizes giving you a huge selection of sizes to choose from. Not only are our jars great for packaging and selling your products, but our jars are also great for color mixing and storage. As you can see by the pictures below, this customer uses our jars to mix and store colors. Combine our amazing jars and your amazing paint colors along with a planetary or speed mixer and BAW. Prepare to have your mind blown. 

Don't take our word for it though, ask our customers...

I give Parkway Plastics 5 stars, "As an Artist I use these jars to mix colors. Its important to use jars that will keep my paint from drying out over time. With each jar a different color is mixed that will essentially be used at one point to create a masterpiece! My paintings create quite a surprise! Jars Jars Jars. Labeling my jars with the color mixed inside." 

Our customers, love our wide mouth jars which make dipping brushes of any size into them a breeze without waste. Just take what you need. 

Pictured: Arts & Mind used Parkway's Regular Wall 20mm-32oz plastic jar to show the finished product!

Pictured Below: Here she uses Parkway's Regular wall: 20mm-32oz jar to mix custom color combinations for painting. 

Check out this organizations paints in Parkway's Regular Wall:58mm-4oz jar!

The jars hold paint concentrates that are shipped to churches across the U.S. and worldwide. This organization  provides churches with equipment that allow them to lead a number of religious events. 

References:

[1] http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2017/04/how-to-get...
[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive...
[3] http://www.powder.com/gear/resort-gear-we-wore-all...
[4] http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties
[5] https://www.kicksonfire.com/10-reasons-why-we-buy-...
[6] https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-shoes-1992405
[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp...
[8] http://www.gq.com/gallery/10-essentials-marcus-riv...
[9] http://www.gq.com/story/sneaker-of-the-week-marsha...
[10] https://www.ft.com/content/eef70f3c-56dd-11de-9a1c...
[11] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-balance-under-fire...
[12] http://airjordanshoeshq.com/air-jordan-brand-histo...
[13] https://twitter.com/mache275
[14] http://footwearnews.com/2015/fashion/athletic-outdoor/custom-sneakers-shopping-18706/
[15] http://binaryapi.ap.org/0bd695a6d1964a1ba1048026823512f1/460x.jpg
[16] https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/68/34/d7/6834d7ab97fdf0e0ad00b208b2e2ee9f.jpg
[17] http://vergecampus.com/2015/01/marshawn-lynch-forc...
[18] https://solecollector.com/news/2013/03/nike-lebron...