From sketching designs as a kid to leading groundbreaking collaborations with global brands, Johnny’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. A creative force in sneaker culture, he’s redefined the art of customization, blending storytelling, high-quality craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology. Whether it’s crafting one-of-a-kind masterpieces, launching original silhouettes, or working with 3D-printed innovations, Johnny is shaping the future of footwear and pushing the boundaries of design and we can’t wait to see where this goes!
Johnny, you’ve built an incredible reputation as a custom sneaker designer. What first inspired you to start customising sneakers, and how did your journey as a designer begin?
Growing up, I was always drawn to design and had a natural curiosity about how things were created, especially the things I was passionate about, like sneakers. My love for sneakers started young, I remember being fascinated by the unique designs, colours, and materials and drawing them endlessly. Sneakers weren’t just shoes to me they were more like an art form, each pair having its own story. This fascination eventually evolved into a drawing my own shoes, and soon, I was following sneaker drops and saving up for the latest releases, finding inspirations in new designs.
When I went to school for graphic design, I began to realise how my interests could actually intersect. I was learning the technical side of design (typography, colour theory, and digital tools) and I started experimenting with my own projects. Around this time, social media was taking off, and I noticed how powerful it was for artists and creators. My feeds were filled with sneaker photography, all highlighting the same new releases. Yet, I found myself thinking, “What could I do differently?”
At first, I just posted photos of my own sneaker collection, but soon I started combining my design skills with my love for sneakers. I would take shots of sneakers and apply filters, experiment with colour changes, and layer different textures or materials on top to create something fresh. I wanted my designs to look like they could be actual products – unique samples that no one had ever seen before.
I started posting these on Instagram around 2014, in the early days of sneaker culture on social media. My approach was different; I wasn’t just showing off the newest shoes. I was adding my own design concepts, so people started taking notice very quickly. Before long, followers were messaging me, asking if my designs were real samples or if they were ever going to be released.
This early feedback was eye-opening. I realised I had found a unique niche by blending photography with graphic design in a way that felt authentic to me. It wasn’t just digital rendering; it was about transforming real photos to make them look like one-of-a-kind samples. This approach helped me build a following, and it all began from my genuine love of sneakers, art, and design.
You mentioned working with Photoshop to edit images, and then transitioned into physically creating sneakers. How did that shift from digital editing to hands-on production happen?
In 2016, I had a unique opportunity to move to Los Angeles, where I became the executive assistant to the Shoe Surgeon. I managed his social media and worked closely with him, putting in 16-hour days that gave me deep insight into the world of sneaker production. I learned the entire process from the ground up – sourcing shoes and materials, deconstructing and reconstructing sneakers, sewing, stitching, and even collaborating on projects with brands and celebrities. It was an eye-opening experience that showed me the full spectrum of physical production.
After some time, though, I realised Los Angeles wasn’t for me, so I moved back to the East Coast, where my family was. During the pandemic, I found myself returning to digital design. Up until then, making shoes was more of a hobby, and I’d never really felt comfortable selling my work. But in 2020, I posted a digital concept of a yellow lobster Air Jordan 1 High on my page. That design caught the attention of Deon Point, the creative director behind the ‘Lobster’ series at CNCPTS. He reposted it on his story and quickly received around 200 DMs in just a few hours, asking if the shoe was going to be released. Dion messaged me directly, telling me, ‘I don’t care what you have to do—you have to make this shoe a reality.’
The next day, I was on Instagram Live with Ceezmc, a New York-based shoe customiser, and he said it would be a dream to bring that concept to life. That’s when it clicked: I didn’t need to make the shoes myself. I could focus on design and then collaborate with some of the world’s best shoemakers to bring those designs to life. I went through my contacts – everyone I admired in the customisation world, from Mache and talented painters like RupsyBanks and _jarcustoms and began sharing my digital designs, commissioning them to create physical pairs.
In May 2020, I launched my first physical sneaker, the Ben & Jerry’s Sacai Waffle, which sold out in about three minutes. That was a pivotal moment; I’d spent eight years designing but had never sold a single physical product until then. When that first sample arrived, I posted it on Instagram, and everything took off from there.
Looking back, it was perfect timing. With COVID hitting, everyone was at home, on social media, and receiving stimulus checks. I was living on social media, which worked to my advantage. I dropped my first pair, and they sold out in three minutes. The following week, I released a Dunk High, custom-painted by KennethColeCustoms, and that sold out in about 10 minutes. The week after that, my Yellow Lobster Air Jordan 1 Low sample came back, and it was my third drop. We made 11 pairs for the 11-year anniversary, and those sold out in about five minutes.
For the Yellow Lobsters, we made a few changes. We switched the design from a high to a low to pay more homage to the OG, but we didn’t do it in an SB style. We also made sure to gift Deon (Point) a pair out of the 11, just to make sure he had one, even though he couldn’t officially be part of the project due to his Nike contract. For me, those Yellow Lobsters will always be a grail, and I’ll never part with them.
From there, I just kept handing design after design to every shoemaker and painter whose work I admired. I knew their standards were high and that they could execute the designs to perfection. That was the starting point, and I ran with it. Now, five years later, here I am.
Could you walk us through the step-by-step process, from the initial concept or idea to the final product? What does that journey look like?
Yeah, so I’m one of the few customisers who designs primarily for myself. While I do take on commissions for companies and corporations, they usually give me complete creative freedom. The process starts with me waking up and opening Photoshop, where I either start with a blank silhouette or find a cool on-feet or studio shot (often from photographers like ad__sneaks) or others. I’ll then break down the shoe, panel by panel, and start designing. I’ll add color overlays, material textures, and once I’m satisfied with the design, I finalize it.
Lately, I’ve been selling the digital render itself. If we get orders, we move forward with creating the physical pairs. However, when I first started, I’d always want to make a sample for myself after designing a shoe I was excited about. So, I’d commission a shoemaker – whoever I was working with at the time – and provide them with the design. There was no guesswork involved because the design was so detailed they could just replicate it easily.
The shoemaker would source an authentic base shoe, and then we’d gather all the materials from leather refineries or custom factories – especially if it was custom suede or other materials. Once the materials are in, the production process begins: skiving, assembling, and building the shoe from scratch. After they send me the sample, I’ll do the photography to promote it, those are the studio shots you see of the finished product. Then I post it on social media to showcase it and gauge interest.
How do you communicate the value of custom sneakers to a client, especially in comparison to a general release?
Yeah, times have changed, especially with the resale market, but a lot of it comes down to that market. I’ll ask clients, ‘Would you rather spend $3,000 on an off-white Jordan 1, or would you prefer to spend $2,500 on a custom, one-of-one Chicago off-white 1, where we can use python, silks, satins, shark. You can have literally whatever materials you want? We can even add your own logos for a cheaper price than a mass-produced Jordan 1.’ It also helps a large percentage of the shoes on the market are actually unauthorised or fake, so you can’t always be sure if you’re getting the real deal. You could spend $3,000 on a Chicago 1, but the person next to you might be wearing the same pair that looks identical, but his is fake and he paid $100 for it. You spent $3,000, but he got the same look for a fraction of the cost. Or, you could have something completely customised from scratch.
This really helped when the resale market went crazy, especially during COVID. The average retail shoe was reselling for around a thousand dollars, and Jordans were impossible to find in stores. So, the value proposition became clear: ‘You can either buy one of 50,000 pairs of a general release, or you could get a one-of-one or a one-of-five for even less.’ Plus, you’re getting exceptional quality – high-end materials like python, Italian suedes, leathers, or shark, which will last 10 times longer than your typical shoe. The beauty of Jordan 1s, in particular, is that the soles don’t ever crumble, unlike other models like the Jordan 2s, which deteriorate over time.
That’s one reason why Jordan 1s and Dunks are so popular: their soles last forever. So, when it comes to value, the choice is yours. Do you want something truly unique to you? And we can customise anything for you as a client. If you see something I’ve posted and like it but want to make subtle changes to make it your own—whether it’s swapping out a logo or adjusting colours, thats no problem. We can do that without question. Clients really love that level of personalisation.
These large brands can’t do it either because of organisations like PETA. They face backlash from health and animal protection agencies, which makes it difficult for them to work with materials like alligator or shark leather. But for us, being smaller-scale, we don’t have those restrictions. Even big companies like Nike sometimes outsource ‘friends and family’ pairs to customisers like us.
For example, I was fortunate enough to create a Nocta Air Force 1s with crystals. These were actually for friends and family, and a lot of people assumed they were made by Nike, but they weren’t. In fact, many of the ‘friends and family’ pairs you see are made by small custom shops like ours, but the brands can’t always disclose that.
Regarding collaborations, I’ve had the opportunity to work with major names like the Milwaukee Bucks on custom footwear projects. These collaborations typically come about in one of two ways. First, I might reach out directly using tools like LinkedIn. I’ll start by researching the company and targeting key decision-makers, like Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) or heads of partnerships. Often, I can find additional contact details, such as Instagram accounts, which can sometimes be private and have smaller followings, making it easier to establish a more personal connection. It’s almost like following a trail to identify the right people for potential partnerships and building meaningful connections.
Second, I post my work daily, and a lot of my designs go viral. They get reposted by sneaker blogs and feature pages, so brands often find me through that exposure or through PR companies and even Nike executives. I’ve asked many of these corporations how they found me, and believe it or not, about half of them say they were referred by Nike executives.
There’s no official list, but it seems that people like The Shoe Surgeon, Mache, myself, and a few others are recognised within Nike’s network. If a brand is looking for a one-of-one or a limited run, 1 of 10 or 20 pairs for a special event or initiative, they often get pointed to customisers like us, because it just doesn’t make sense for the bigger brands to handle those projects with their mass production factory processes.
What are some of the most memorable custom sneaker projects you’ve worked on? Are there any that really pushed you creatively, or involved a process you hadn’t used before?
The Chicago Bulls project was massive for me. With Michael Jordan being such an iconic figure and having built the franchise into what it is today, and considering how every customiser works on Jordan’s, it was a huge moment for me to land that collaboration. I’m actually fortunate enough to be working on a second one with them now. For that project, there were processes I had used before, but also new techniques we incorporated. For example, we added leather carving, but we also introduced a basketball netting finish on the collar, which was something I’d never done before. It ended up being their top initiative in over a decade in terms of social reach and engagement, so that project was definitely iconic for me.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Staple Pigeon drop. Jeff Staple has been a huge influence on me for over 20 years, he essentially started the hype culture with the Pigeon dunk release and the riots in New York. So, when I had the opportunity to design a Moncler Pigeon inspired sneaker, I was beyond excited. I was actually at a SneakerCon event in LA and attending an after-party for RTFKT, a company that was later acquired by Nike. At that party, I happened to spot Jeff Staples standing alone at the bar, so I went up to talk to him. The first thing he said was, ‘I’m a fan,’ which was incredible. We ended up having an hour-long conversation where I showed him the render I’d done a couple of weeks earlier based on the Pigeon dunks. I asked if he’d be okay with us putting his Pigeon logo on it.
At the time, I hadn’t included his logo in the design, but he was curious about what we planned to do with it. This was a few months before the opening of the second Yankee Kicks store in Manhattan, which is one of the largest sneaker stores in New York, and in the country. Jeff and I came up with the idea to release the sneakers at the store’s grand opening. We made two versions: the OG Pigeon and the Reverse Panda Pigeon. The Reverse Panda Pigeon was auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the Sloan Kettering Children’s Cancer Center, which was where Yankee Kicks son had received treatment when he was a child.
Being able to tie in New York, Jeff Staple, and the Moncler Pigeon, especially with the store opening in December, was such a special project. The auctioned shoe ended up going for around $30,000 that night, and we also did a small run of five pairs of the OG Pigeons, with all proceeds going to the cancer centre. Honestly, that was one of the coolest projects I’ve ever been a part of, and to do it with Jeff, who’s a legend in the space, made it even more memorable.
You joined Yankee Kicks as Creative Director. Could you share how that opportunity came about and what led to you joining the brand?
Yeah, so I ended up following Yaniv, or ‘Yankee Kicks’ as everyone knows him, when the Ben and Jerry SB Dunks dropped. It’s funny, a lot of my friends and I started our careers around the same time. Yaniv had around 25 pairs of the Ben and Jerry SB Dunks before they officially released. As a sneaker enthusiast, he had an insane collection, but at the time, he had about 800 followers and no store. I was always reaching out to people I admired in the sneaker space, so I shot him a DM. I said, “I don’t know how you’re getting these, but I’m a fan,” and we connected.
During the pandemic, I was living on Instagram Live, doing creator sessions with sneaker collectors and designers. Yaniv had never really shown his face publicly, but I got him on one of my lives, and we had a two-and-a-half-hour, uninterrupted conversation about sneakers, his collection, and how deep it went. He has one of the most expensive sneaker collections in the world, a vault bigger than even Fat Joes. Every sneaker he posts on his Instagram is a personal pair, which I find insane.
He eventually became a client of mine, buying my Ben and Jerry Sacai’s on the first drop, then around 10-15 more customs over the following year. Then, he flew me down to Miami to meet him in person. He said, ‘I’m going to open a store, and I’d love to integrate custom work into it. You’re one of the best in the industry in terms of manufacturing, design, and original thought.’
So, I went down, attended the store opening, and we started collaborating on custom sneakers. We’d do Yankee Kicks x Johnny’s Kicks Customs, where I’d handle the design and production, and we’d collaborate on the concept. When the second store was opening, Yaniv said, ‘You know what? I want to bring you on as a designer and creative director.’
In May of last year, I really stepped into the role of heading up Vangrack. Vangrack is going to be our own retail footwear brand under Yankee Kicks. It was originally started in the late ‘80s by Peter Moore, one of the most iconic designers of all time. He designed the Jordan 1, brought Adidas to America, and even signed Kobe to adidas before he passed a few years ago. When Peter passed, Yang bought Vangrack from his family estate and brought it into the future.
The brand never took off back in the day, but Michael Jordan was actually going to leave Nike to join Vangrack after the Jordan 2. Peter Moore and Steve Troster tried to get him to switch, but then Tinker Hatfield came along with the Jordan 3, and the rest is history. Vangrack first signed athlete was Dikembe Mutombo, and they had some classic track suits, too.
Yaniv put me in charge of all design and creative direction for Vangrack. Over the past year and a half, I’ve quietly worked on 12 different silhouettes, ranging from lifestyle to running, basketball, and even pickleball shoes. I’m really excited to bring this brand to market, hopefully sometime next year.
Custom sneakers offer an alternative to the mass produced footwear we see. How do you think custom shoes can reshape the way people think about style and individuality?
I think it’s hard, right? A lot of people want customs, but they just can’t afford them. It’s the price point that gets them every time, and that’s where it gets frustrating. This is where I wish Nike and others would work with customisers to actually tell real stories on retail shoes, so people can actually get ahold of them. Everyone, when I start talking about custom sneakers, says, ‘Oh my God, I have an idea! You’ve got my brain going wild!’ But they’ll never be able to make it happen because the cost to get them manufactured is just too high – unless you have a stack of money.
I think customizers are the best storytellers. You’re taking an iconic silhouette and turning it into something unique, and you’re competing with brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel in terms of price points. That’s how I’ve always approached it. For me, I just let my brain go wild. I open Photoshop, and whatever my brain feels that day, I try to create something that I’d want in my collection and just run with it.
Honestly, our conversion rate is probably 2%. I get an average of 300–400 DMs a day, and I might make one sale. It’s probably even less than 2%, to be honest. So many people want my shoes, but they can’t justify the cost because they literally don’t have the money. That’s where brands need to wake up and give us an opportunity. We’re having to create our own opportunities. That’s why I’m excited about VanGrack – I’m going to incentivise customisers. I want to build something that brings customisers and creatives into the fold, rather than pushing them aside, suing them, and making their ideas and designs unobtainable for most people.
It’s always a changing of the guard with these big companies. There’s so much turnover. A group of people might love the idea and incentivise it, but then the next group comes in and it’s a completely different direction. When I was working with The Shoe Surgeon, we went to New York and did a shoemaking class for inner-city kids in collaboration with Jordan Brand. We had Jordan Brand athletes like Blake Griffin and others involved. Now, they’re suing the same customisers for the same things we were doing back then. It’s just the nature of the business. Different management, different people in charge – it’s hit or miss.
For me, if I were heading creative direction, I’d be coming from this custom space. I think that gives me an edge. I’ve been in this world for a decade, and I know how to merge the custom space with retail. I’ve got a vision for how I want to approach it. I just can’t give away all the details yet.
Sneaker customisation really exploded with the rise of social media and the COVID lockdown. With that in mind, do you see the trend continuing as more people seek out unique styles?
I think there will always be people with money who want custom products. That’s just the way it is. However, the market has become incredibly saturated. I feel for many customisers because some are actually losing money on their work. They lower their prices so much, or people who can afford customs expect them for free. Then they realize they’re not getting the recognition or credit they deserve. During the COVID lockdown, a lot of people saw customisation as a quick money-making opportunity. I was fortunate to do over $1.2 million in custom sales within just seven months, but a lot of people jumped in expecting quick success and burned out just as fast.
With the economy as it is, I’d say there are probably only a handful of full-time customisers left, those who have stayed consistent. There’s always a turnover, with new people coming in and out, but the ones who are serious will stick with it. For me, it’s been a long-term commitment. Corporations and companies also love using custom sneakers for marketing purposes. They often have huge marketing budgets and love creating ‘moments.’ Sneakers are a huge part of sports and entertainment, and a lot of my clients come from the NFL, NBA, WWE, athletes, actors, and rappers.
Even with the economy down, there’s still a demand for custom-made products. That’s why we’re not just focusing on sneakers anymore. We’ve expanded into custom clothing, bags, backpacks, and other products. Customisation is here to stay, and there’s a growing market for unique, one-of-a-kind items.
What do you think the future of sneaker design looks like? Are there any new techniques, materials, technologies, or ideas you’re currently exploring in your upcoming work?
Yeah, so I’ve really dove deep into 3D-printed shoes. My second original silhouette, the JK Zero Twos, is in collaboration with ZellaFeld. They started developing their own 3D printers about seven years ago. Cornelius, the founder, came across a page called Concept Kicks, run by Dan Bailey, another well-known designer, and saw all these incredible concepts that weren’t being made. He thought, “Someone needs to bring these to life.” So, they hired a bunch of engineers, developed their own printers, and now they’re creating the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I’ve tested everything from Ultra Boosts to Hokas to On Clouds, and these are by far the most comfortable shoes I’ve come across. They’re fully recyclable and can be printed in just 30 hours.
The coolest part is that these shoes can be customised in any way. I can take the 3D file, skin it for a different brand, and turn it into a completely new shoe. Then we just send it to the printer, and it gets made in two days. As this technology expands, there will be print farms all over the world. This means you could essentially create your own footwear brand overnight. In today’s world, starting a footwear brand requires spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on molds, patterns, development, and more. But with this, there’s zero upfront cost. All you need is a designer who can do 3D modeling, and ZellaFeld will print and ship it for you. They even provide a website to list your shoes on.
Their goal is to be the “YouTube of sneakers,” where you can upload a new design every day if you want. You just pay for the sample, and once you’re happy with it, they upload it to the website. All you need to do is market it. They handle the rest, and they pay you out quarterly for what you earn. It’s a huge shift from just custom sneakers to fully customisable 3D-printed shoes. Right now, I’m working on a few exciting collaborations with companies and celebrities to drop very limited-edition shoes. ZellaFeld is already making samples for major brands like Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Kanye West, Jerry Lorenzo, Jeff Staple, Sean Wotherspoon, and Nike. However, they don’t yet have the printing capacity to produce these designs on a large scale.
ZellaFeld currently has only 45 engineers and no marketing or PR team because they can’t handle the volume just yet. But seeing the biggest designers and companies in fashion getting on board with 3D printing shows that this is going to be a huge part of footwear going forward. What’s even more impressive is the ability to scan your foot for the first time and create shoes that are mapped specifically to your foot. You simply place a piece of paper down, and using facial recognition on your phone, it maps your foot. That scan is sent to the printer, and your shoe is created based on your foot’s unique scan.
They’ll break the shoe down and reprint it. And if new designs are uploaded to the site, you don’t have to get the same shoe back. You can choose any new design, colour, and get it at a discounted price. This really is the future of footwear, and the fact that Nike and other big players are starting to get involved just proves that we’re ahead of the curve
What’s next for you in terms of projects or collaborations? What does the future look like for Johnny’s Kicks?
So right now, I’m working on my second collaboration with the Chicago Bulls, and I’m also diving into new areas like cleats and boxing boots. I have a partnership with the World Boxing Association (WBA), so I’ll be creating boxing boots for some of the biggest boxers in the world. I’m also collaborating with NFL athletes to design custom cleats, which you’ll start seeing next season. Beyond that, I’m open to working with any brand that wants to collaborate. It’s exciting that we’ve built such a diverse portfolio, not just with custom shoes, but also with New Balance, ASICS, and Adidas, and we’re developing new processes for custom sneakers that haven’t been seen before. I’ve got a concept in the works right now that’s pretty groundbreaking, but I can’t reveal it yet.
Additionally, I’m collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defence to develop polymer shoes for military use, which is an insane opportunity. I really don’t want to just be known as a custom sneaker designer; I want to be known as a designer across all spaces. I’m expanding into clothing, bags, toys, collectibles, and even car designs. I want to create an entire brand, not just a footwear brand.
With Vangrack, we’re planning to create a footwear line that’s not just about shoes – it’s going to have a strong apparel component as well. Vangrack is a huge project, and we have aspirations to turn it into a multi-billion dollar footwear brand that can compete with the likes of Nike, Adidas, Puma, OnCloud, and Hoka, all while telling unique stories through our products.
So, the future is really wide open, from 3D-printed shoes with ZellaFeld, to polymer shoes for the military, to building the VanGrack brand and continuing to pay homage to the custom sneaker world. The sky’s the limit right now.
