Sneaker culture has grown exponentially since the first sneaker had been produced by Converse a century ago, and companies such as Nike, adidas, Reebok and more have made names for themselves as leaders in what we now know to be the footwear industry. Creativity has become a way for companies and wearers alike to distinguish themselves in order to express style and uniqueness relative to the producer and to the customer, and now independent artists have become more influential in the way that footwear is designed, more specifically, customized; one such person who is changing the way footwear appears is Ben Smith.
Smith, founder and principal artist of Brush Footwear in Pennsylvania, has become a leader in footwear customization. Having done custom footwear for music artists such as Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, and having become a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University in its Sneakerology series, Smith is certified.
Smith connected with SLAM some time ago, and graciously, he produced a pair of some of the slickest custom jobs in the last year, a special SLAM version of the highly sought-after Nike Air Max 90 for me (which is the only one of its kind), which led to an interview in which Smith talked about his art career, his passion, and why he does what he does.
SLAM: Where did sneaker customizing enter into your life? What inspired you to pursue this avenue?
Ben Smith: I’ve been doing sneaker customizing since I was in junior high school. It really started with me being bored in some classes and just drawing on a pair or chucks or some vans for something to do and pass the time. I’ve always been into art, so it was only a matter of time before I started incorporating my art with what I wear. So from then on I’ve been looking at the shoes as another means for my art and self expression. It honestly fell into place naturally and it just made sense for me.
SLAM: You first got major looks for your work fairly recently when you made an exclusive custom pair of Vans for star rap artist Mac Miller—what was the inspiration for you, specifically in featuring Mac and doing the custom on Vans of all shoes?
BS: Yeah, that was really dope to do Mac some pairs of kicks. I’ve been a fan of his music so it was real cool to work on something for him… I wanted something that would go with Mac’s style and that would be a timeless shoe while providing plenty of canvas space for the artwork. So the Vans Classics seemed like the go-to shoe. One pair was painted to match the cover of his debut album, Blue Slide Park, and the other was a “Most Dope” inspired pair. They both turned out crazy, the Blue Slide Park shoes are one of my favorites so far!
Nike Store 2013
Nike Shoes Collection
Smith, founder and principal artist of Brush Footwear in Pennsylvania, has become a leader in footwear customization. Having done custom footwear for music artists such as Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, and having become a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University in its Sneakerology series, Smith is certified.
Smith connected with SLAM some time ago, and graciously, he produced a pair of some of the slickest custom jobs in the last year, a special SLAM version of the highly sought-after Nike Air Max 90 for me (which is the only one of its kind), which led to an interview in which Smith talked about his art career, his passion, and why he does what he does.
SLAM: Where did sneaker customizing enter into your life? What inspired you to pursue this avenue?
Ben Smith: I’ve been doing sneaker customizing since I was in junior high school. It really started with me being bored in some classes and just drawing on a pair or chucks or some vans for something to do and pass the time. I’ve always been into art, so it was only a matter of time before I started incorporating my art with what I wear. So from then on I’ve been looking at the shoes as another means for my art and self expression. It honestly fell into place naturally and it just made sense for me.
SLAM: You first got major looks for your work fairly recently when you made an exclusive custom pair of Vans for star rap artist Mac Miller—what was the inspiration for you, specifically in featuring Mac and doing the custom on Vans of all shoes?
BS: Yeah, that was really dope to do Mac some pairs of kicks. I’ve been a fan of his music so it was real cool to work on something for him… I wanted something that would go with Mac’s style and that would be a timeless shoe while providing plenty of canvas space for the artwork. So the Vans Classics seemed like the go-to shoe. One pair was painted to match the cover of his debut album, Blue Slide Park, and the other was a “Most Dope” inspired pair. They both turned out crazy, the Blue Slide Park shoes are one of my favorites so far!
Nike Store 2013
Nike Shoes Collection