Deadline has been extended to January 10th, 2012.

Get out your modeling clay, carving tools, paints, brushes or whatever tools of choice for the first STANCE Collection Custom Vinyl Toy Contest. Releasing this past summer the STANCE High became the first footwear inspired vinyl toy bringing together the worlds of sneakerheads, shoe customizers, aspiring shoe designers, and vinyl toy customizers. Now is your chance to put your burning idea to the test in a friendly competition for prizes from PaintOrThread and STANCE Collection. Checkout full details below:

Contest Rules and Guidelines:

Entries must be sent to contact@paintorthread.com with STANCE CONTEST ENTRY in subject line. One (1) entry per person using AT LEAST one (1) Official STANCE Vinyl Toy is due by December 10th, 2011 by 11:59 PM CST. Entries may include: up to 3 photos, title, design description, artist contact info: name, website, social media profiles, or any other information necessary to showcase your design. Photoshopped entries will not be accepted. Eight (8) designs must be entered for the contest to be held. We must be able to decipher that you are the actual artist of the piece. PaintOrThread.com and STANCE Collection, LLC reserve the right to deny any designs if deemed inappropriate or falsely entered.

Prizes:

1st $250 + STANCE Collection Prize Pack

2nd: $50 + 2 STANCE Highs

3rd: 1 STANCE High

How we will determine a winner:

Judges from PaintorThread.com and STANCE Collection, LLC will choose a winner with help from the public’s vote to be taken via PaintOrThread.com shortly after the entry due date of December 1oth with all entries being announced at one time. For reference judges will vote loosely on areas of originality, creativeness, unique use of materials, cleanliness of the mediums used, and presentation. Or just whichever design blows our minds…straight UP!

Questions or comments: send to contact@paintorthread.com subject: STANCE CUSTOM CONTEST

Enter coupon code “paintorthread” at checkout for 35% off the STANCE High at http://www.STANCEcollection.com

FOLLOW STANCE COLLECTION

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/StanceCollection

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/KickStance

Exactly, one year later to the date of the original Jet Life Nike Blazer, JBF Customs has released the Jet Life Volume 2 Nike Blazer customs. 2010′s Volume 1 became one of the most talked about custom shoes, with a pair making it to Curren$y himself. What appears to be a similar design is actually a big improvement. With 365 days and numerous custom Nike Blazers under his belt Jake of JBF Customs was able to develop his decon-recon skills in order to reconstruct an even more factory like shoe. The first points of JBF’s skills can be seen in the practically perfect formed toebox and equally stitched threading. What started out as a plain Nike Blazer is once again a Curren$y inspired shoe that emphasizes the importance to just enjoy this shit known as life.

The shoe itself is again mostly based of a solid, soft green cow suede. The signature fat Swooshes have the recognizable form cut of the jets in flight followed by the exaust fumes in premium white leather. Instead of glow in the dark fabric on the Curren$y hang ten hand cut out, real RAW papers are used for a more theme fitting backing. Not too visible(which is good), is a stash pocket on the inside of the tongue for your….stash. Lastly one of Curren$y’s mixtape titles, “Jets Fool” brands the tongues in a classic Nike font. JBF will be making a limited run of 12 pairs for the first people interested showing their dedication to the Jet Life.

Checkout more from JBF and purchase the JET LIFE II Nike Blazer here: JBFcustoms.com

1. Follow us on Twitter:

Follow @JBFcustoms
Follow @PaintOrThread

2. Click here to ReTweet the Giveaway (1 time or as many times as you want!)

Rules: One random person will be picked and announced on January 17th, 2012. The winner will be selected with a random online generator from all entrants that  follow steps 1 and 2 above. This giveaway is open to all PaintOrThread.com viewers who are residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia aged 18 and older. Rules and entrance guidelines subject to change if necessary.

Check back with PaintOrThread on 1-17-2012 for the announcement of the giveaway winner and release of JBF’s Jet Life II Nike Blazer.

If you like any of the content found here at PaintOrThread you probably enjoy every chance you get to watch and listen to a shoe customizer explain what it is they do. Mike Wood of Envintaj Customs was recently given the opportunity by THE art HYPE to share his work at streetwear shop PEDX Baltimore and explain more of what he does. The Baltimore, Maryland based shoe customizer gives a look at his recent hand painted Air Jordan 6 customs including the Shogun and Space Jams along with a pretty slick abstract take on the Jurassic period on a pair of Nike’s Total Air Foamposite Maxes. How do they stack up to the latest Air Jordan VI customs, also known as the seemingly most used custom shoe of the past year?

Checkout more work from and contact Envintaj at www.EnvintajCustomz.com

Over the 26 years of Air Jordans a main point of inspiration for their designers has been found in the automotive and airline industries. One of the first was the Air Jordan VI made by the brands most well known designer, Tinker Hatfield. Releasing in 1991 Hatfield’s VI design was created based on the look of the Porsche 911, one of Michael Jordan’s cars at that time. The most telling piece of the shoe became the pronounced, black and red plastic heel tab on the VI that was created in the essence of the 911′s over sized spoiler. Chris Hui of C2 Customs‘ goal on this pair of Air Jordan VIs was to further develop the original inspiration and transform the shoe to embody the look of a Porsche as close as possible.

C2 started out using a youth sized white/varsity red/black Air Jordan VI retro as his base shoe, seen below to understand the amount of changes made. After prepping the shoes properly, change number one was painting all white parts Porsche’s official “Guards Red”, complete with that auto body like shine using a waxed gloss finish. Second the white neoprene tongues were dyed tan to match the rich tan leather interiors. A third subtle detail included painting of the Air Max cavity walls a bright maize to represent the signature Brembo brakes and calipers of the 911s. To add more of that official Porsche look, the placement of emblems on the toe and heels a la hood and trunk was painted with gold and black. The front being a small C and 2, while the back mimics the Porsche coat of arms using the stitched Jumpman logo as its centerpiece. Now that is where many customizers would stop and call it done. The details are what C2 is all about though, as his toughest task was drilling four holes and filling them with hand cut metal to create the look of the Porsche 911′s quad exhaust. Luckily C2 is patient enough to not have mis-drilled the holes considering he probably did that step first and could have easily ruined this pair of Jordans and the entire project. There is no way to imagine how hyped these Porsche Air Jordan VI would be if they were an official Air Jordan release. Thanks to C2 for the first look here on PaintOrThread.com.

Checkout more work by Chris and contact him for your own detailed C2 custom sneaker via his website: C2Customs.com

C2′s Porsche 911 inspiration board:

Before being customized by C2, image via Hypebeast.com

One customizer steadily building a reputation for going above and beyond just a basic custom paint job has been Impeccable Customs. He has gotten the dyed clear soles and engraving techniques down. This pair of Premium Nike Blazers titled “Hella Elephant” feature something that has not been done by much of any shoe customizers. The relatively all gray Blazers are covered in an engraved take on the classic elephant print. Next the lace panels are painted red to match the Swooshes that are made from red leather cord weaved in and out of the leather in a criss cross pattern. A close look at the back heel panels shows the usual NIKE tagging but again it is also created from a leather cord in black. This leather cord weaving technique is definitely something you could only get from a shoe customizer. Do you think Impeccable’s use of the cord is something he should continue to do? PaintOrThread says yes!

If you’d like to buy your own pair of “Hella Elephants” visit Impeccables shop here: ShopImpeccable.com

Surely you may want these custom NERF Nike Kobe VIIs, but you just can not have them. Dan Gamache of Mache Custom Kicks had to create just one more version for himself using the latest Kobe Bryant’s to complete his own Nike NERF pack, then “NO MORE NERFS” is what he told PaintOrThread. In case you are out of the loop this concept was originally released by Nike one month ago on the Kevin Durant KD4 as seen in the photos below. Complete with a NERF mini hoop and ball the KD4 package screamed 90s bright colors and patterns, quickly reaching the $1,000 mark on the resellers market. A week or so after the KD4 release Mache painted the same color blocking on a pair of Nike Lebron 9, Internet panic ensued blowing up Mache’s inbox causing him to release 11 pairs at a set price per pair and then letting 1 sell via eBay auction. The 12th pair sold for over $4,000.00. Of course someone buying them for 4gs inspired another person to try and make their own pair to sell on eBay, still going for $400+ despite a lower quality paint job. Then Mache just wanted to crush all the kid’s dreams by customizing one of the most technical Nike basketball shoes ever.

What started off as the already loud “Cheetah” version of the Kobe VII, this pair can now fit in with the rest of the cool Nerf kids. The same color blocking of a purple forefoot was painted along with the infrared Swooshes. Next the midsoles were painted black with gray speckles along with the tongues and ankle liners painted in the black and gray tech-challenge like print. Considering the success of the NERF concept do you think Nike wished they officially outfitted other models with the colorway or are satisfied to have kept the NERF as a signature of the KD4?

Remember, Mache says he won’t make these NERF Kobes but surely could create you an original custom, contact him here: Facebook.com/MacheCustomKicks or Twitter.com/Mache275

The third Vans Custom Culture Contest is already upon us. High school students from across America will be able to begin registering for Vans’ yearly shoe customization contest on February 1st, 2012 at Vans.com/CustomCulture. The first 1,000 schools to sign up will be sent 4 pairs of Vans all white shoes to customize by March. Vans staff will narrow the 1000 to 50, then the public vote will determine the 5 finalist schools. Those 5 schools will be brought to Los Angeles, California for an exclusive event in May to announce the one school winner of a $50,000 prize for their art department.

Checkout Vans OffTheWall.TV video below for more details and what happened during last years final event in New York.

More from Vans about Custom Culture:

Vans Custom Culture inspires high school students across the United States to embrace their creativity and draw attention to the importance of art as an integral part of our school’s focus in the face of shrinking budgets. Entering its third year in 2012, Vans will build on the nearly 400 schools from all 50 states that participated last year when Long Island’s Ward Melville High School claimed the $50,000 first prize for their truly unique interpretations of Vans shoe designs. This year, the first 1,000 U.S.-based high schools that register according to the official rules will receive four pairs of Vans shoes (Classic Slip-On, Era, Old Skool and 106) to make their own creations. Each shoe must represent one of four themes (Action Sports/Music/Fashion/Local Flavor) and an underlying theme tying the entire collection together. Photo submissions are made on-line via the Vans Custom Culture website and global voting whittles the entries down to the “Final Five” who will travel to Los Angeles for the Vans Custom Culture Art Showcase event.

Six or seven different patterns on one pair of shoes can spell disaster in most attempts, but the thought behind this pair of “Porcelain Dynasty” Nike Air Force 1s by C2 Customs ensured that would not happen. The theme behind the design was developed in the early part of 2011 while Chris Hui of C2 Customs studied abroad at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Just as PaintOrThread predicted this pair marks the first interestingly inspired work after his time overseas. The basis Chris derived the look from was the Chinese antiques on display at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Notably the white porcelain items such as plates or vases with cobalt blue ink calligraphy made during Chinese dynasties hundreds of years ago. Overall Chris states that his objective was to “pull elements from my favorite pieces in the museum and create a piece composed of several individual designs.  Each major panel of the sneaker would be unique from each other, while still combining to form a single composition as a whole.” The end result is one of the top custom sneakers ever made.

Starting off with an all white pair of Air Force 1s, typically a “bad” choice of base for most customs due to the overwhelming white sole and midsole, it was clearly the best choice for this concept. The patterns range from a variation of dragon scales, floral print, repeating arches, waves, cross hatch, squares, and vines. Each strategically chosen for the specific panel it was to cover. On close examination it can be seen that the blue paint was applied in such a manner that it reflected the same somewhat inconsistent application that is seen of the cobalt ink on porcelain. Even some panels were aged and hand weathered by Chris to reflect the look of the antique pieces. Lastly panels such as the back heels and tongue were given just enough blue to balance out the untouched soles and painted ankle lining. A problem among these Chinese porcelain pieces (highly recommended you read that links article) is the need for skilled people to restore them, if the custom sneaker thing doesn’t work C2 clearly has the skills to give it a shot.

Checkout more work by C2 and a deeper explanation of each panel on these “Porcelain Dynasty” Nikes via his site: C2Customs.com

The sneaker infamously “banned” has now been bronzed. On October 19th 2010 it was announced that these Concept 1 basketball shoes from APL were banned from any on court use in the NBA. The reason? Giving players an unfair competitive advantage. That unfair edge was brought on by instant improvement in vertical leap of which the shoes are designed to provide, from their “Load ‘N Launch Technology”, and what the brand itself is entirely based upon. That news sent shock waves through the globe, not just that of the sneaker and basketball world. Over a year later and Athletic Propulsion Labs has just released it’s 3rd model, the Concept 2. Though not a wearable custom this bronzed Concept 1, is surely a unique piece of sneaker art.

The shoes, originally a 1 of 1 made Concept 1 before being bronzed, was a gift from APL designer Cody Harris for the APL Team, most notably the Goldston brothers Adam and Ryan who are the brands co-founders. Over an 8 week waiting period took place to have the sneaker bronzed by American Bronzing. In that meantime Cody himself put together the wood stand cutting, routing, sanding, staining and a few coats of lacquer complete with a brass inlay of his design signature name and logo, BP on the bottom. Cody was pleased and impressed to see how much detail was preserved in the bronzing process and how much heavier they became. A piece of sports history saved with all the fine detail visible from the tongue lettering to stitching to the uppers carbon fiber pattern, surely the rest of the APL team was just as impressed.

Checkout and buy the latest APL basketball shoes in their wearable form here: AthleticPropulsionLabs.com