Nike Air Mag “Elite” Custom by @KickassoKustoms

The stigma of customizing a high dollar after market sneaker went out the door sometime last year starting with customized Yeezy IIs and a pair of these same Nike Air Mags. Sneakerheads that will never get these shoes are probably crying “Why ruin a classic wah wah wah!” But a driving factor of customs is that they aren’t meant for everyone, and often times they are designed for one person. But surely this Air Mag by Kickasso Kustoms modeled after the “Elite” concept used on Nike’s premier basketball models would fly off the shelves in 2015 self-lacing or not. [more]

Air Jordan V Summer Love III Collection Customs by @EcentrikShoeArt

What DOES love got to do with it? Everything, right? The theme of love, summer love that is, comes back around again from Ecentrik Artistry for 2013. Previous Summer Love collection of custom sneakers from EA were on Nike models like Air Force 1s and Air Max 90s. This time the oh so popular Air Jordan V catches the love bug. Using two recent retros of the AJ V in white/black/red and “Grape” Ecentrik created a whole new look for the shoe. [more]

Air Jordan I Levi’s Vintage Acid Wash Denim Customs | @theMenacedesign

Off the sneaker customization radar since about late 2010 theMenace is back with all new recon custom sneakers. You may remember his work that made some noise as full reconstructions of the Vans Sk8 Hi. Well some of the materials he used are the same but base model different being that of the Air Jordan I. TheMenace gave the iconic AJ 1 silhouette a look of what was probably worn with them originally quite often in those mid 1980s: acid wash denim. [more]

How to Paint Air Jordan XI 11 into Dirty Breds by @KINGofSneakers

Ever since PaintOrThread broke the Blacked Out Bred Air Jordan XI by Noldo Customs Instagram has seen numerous attempts of the design and our inbox has been full of how to make them. With the already mass release of the Air Jordan XI “Playoffs”, one restock under their belt and another this Saturday we can expect to see more and more of the simple customization. [more]

Color Swap Saturday #1: UNDFTD, Salmon Toes, Tiffany and more

One of the easier “concepts” in the custom sneaker world is that of the color swap. It involves the customizing a pair of sneakers into a different colorway based on an officially released colorway of a different model of shoes. Even though the creativity needed to complete a color swap is basic, the skills needed to pull off a decent end result take some practice to achieve. [more]

Air Jordan IV “Gold Digger” Custom by @DMC_Kicks

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. [more]

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. [more]

Nike Lebron X “He’s On Fire!” by BlackLion Customs

Will any team be able to cool off Lebron from getting his 2nd NBA Championship this June? So far it appears not. In celebration of the Heat’s 2013 playoff run BlackLion Customs created this custom titled after the classic “He’s On Fire!” line from the video game NBA Jam. The Lebron X has seen lots of customs that cover the entire upper in a painted airbrushed design but BlackLion chose to keep it a bit simpler. [more]

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. [more]

A Sneaker Customizer’s Library: Custom Kicks by MAKI

Coming up on being 5 years old Custom Kicks by MAKI is still a should-be-staple in any sneaker customizer’s library.  Released in 2008 by the small design and illustration studio named MAKI based in Groningen, Netherlands and published by Laurence King Publishing this is the first book dedicated to nothing but sneaker customization. After customizing their own shoes Kim and Matthijs decided to a curate list of artist and those that have customized shoes. Some pairs were made specifically for the book and others made previously. [more]

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. [more]

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. [more]

Nike Dunk SB Mid Ocelot Safari Custom by Twitch Customs

If anything is popular in sneakers this year it has to be animal prints. But doesn’t it seem like that’s been popular in some sense for years? Either way this custom stands out from your standard cheetah or leopard with the look of the ocelot. Ossawhut? It’s a dwarf leopard. But for a more interesting look Ryan of Twitch Customs actually combined two patterns. [more]

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. [more]