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When 24-year-old Matthew Russell of Fredericton isn’t at the gym or hanging out with family and friends, he’s painting sneakers — including 20 to 25 custom shoes from his own collection.
Russ Customs started in January 2021 when Russell saw an ad for painted shoes on Instagram and wanted to try it for himself.
“I got the basics and made myself a pair and posted it,” Russell said. “It’s like that… it’s up from there.”
Sneaker culture
Russell says he was artistic when he was young, but never found an outlet to settle down for long.
“I always wore shoes and clothes,” he said. “After I painted the first color, I fell in love with it.”
Russell says most of his customers order the shoes to wear. He said he uses high-quality products and packs his designs to last in any weather.
But some buy the shoes just for the look. Of Russell’s personal collection, he says he only wears about five pairs.
Russell says that a small sketch takes at least three to four hours, but he has done work that took 60 to 70 hours. Not including the cost of the shoes, Russell charges upwards of $100 to $400 for intricate designs.
His main customer base is word of mouth in Fredericton, but he has had some couples go as far as Ontario and even send a couple to Mexico.
Getting into the headspace
Russell says he often uses his subjects for inspiration, especially if he’s paying homage to pop culture.
“If I’m making a shoe that’s about a scene, I like to set the scene, or if it’s about an artist, I wear the artist,” he said.
His designs range from full cover art, many from movies or TV shows to small designs on the side of the shoe.
Russell says they are his favorite anime routines because they allow him to create with patterns.
It also boasts a couple featuring Pennywise from the movie. He (2017)
in the future
Painting shoes is only a part-time gig for Russell, but he hopes to grow it, and add a good camera and new equipment to give his business a “premium look.”
“I feel like my artwork is getting a lot better,” Russell said. “I want … [keep] Making only big shoes – more crazy, time-consuming shoes.
Russell’s favorite part about his job is trying new things.
“I’ve always loved shoes and I’ve always loved clothes,” he said. “I found a place where I could use artistic things that I wouldn’t use anywhere else [and] It is very well put together. “
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