Darkboy & Shoddy (Nike Dunk Hi)

First of all I'd like to welcome Darkboy & Shoddy to SoleHeaven.

Thanks fella's for being involved in this project, you've done an amazing job on these Dunks.....Top Top Work boy's!

Tell us abit about you...what's your background?

darkboyandshoddy are two uk based artists, both graduating from art school and have set up as freelance artists

when did you discover your passion for sneakers?

We have always been facinated by sneaker culture and design. I suppose it started in the eighties with the reebok pumps and leading on to the airmax. darkboy collects pumas and adidas while shoddy collects converse. Through our travels we have visited New York, Tokyo, Singapore aswell as most of europe checking out the latest trends, styles and networking.

What was your 1st custom project?

Our first pair was around 5 years ago. They were a pair of adidas
decade hi's. They were free styled and very basic,a bit of trial and
error. I think they only lasted a week as the poor guy who bought them had a car crash, he ripped them to shreds as he clawwed his way through his window!(he's fine now by the way!)

Where do you draw your inspiration?

I suppose we feed on all things, from the media to art galleries . its
good to keep involved with the fine scene and so called 'high art'
aswell as whats on the street. Its good to keep an open mind as you
can easily get to caught up in niches and clicks. You never know what we are going to do next!

How does the customisation process work?

I'm not going to tell you the exact technical process its top secret!
You can find tips on forums and the rest is trial and error. In
general 99 percent of the sneakers are free styled as we find the
outcome is always better than a structured piece. we do do requests
but we do try and ask customers to trust us and let us do our thing.

What are your timescales for each piece?

Time scales vary but upto 20hours depending on complexity.

Whats your favourite shoe to customise?

darkboy prefers to customise adidas and nikes, where as shoddy is a converse specialist.

What do you think to Lazor technology used by Mark Smith?

He has got a unique style but its just ain't our cuppa tea, no offence! The paternation is kinda tribal and seems a bit dated to us.

Is it something you'd like to try in the future?

Possibly. I think laser etching is definatly an area that could be
explored a bit more. I think some of our illustrations would look great
all carved up on a pair of hi tops.

You can see more of their fantastic work at www.darkboyandshoddy.com

If you're customising, and want to showcase your work. contact us on dale@soleheaven.com