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Have you ever seen your favorite celebrity rocking a pair of your favorite sneakers in a color scheme that you have never seen before? Did you ever go on a hunt to find these sneakers online or at your favorite local sneaker spot just to find out that they supposedly don’t exist? Maybe they were customized specially for the artist and if so, they just may have been done by Erick Moreira of Remix Da Kickz. Associated with celebrities from Usher to Fabolous and part of the Nike team (yes, that Nike), Moreira was one of the first and biggest names in the sneaker customization game and he is gearing up to take Remix Da Kickz to even bigger heights in the near future.

How did you get your design deal with Nike and what exactly does that mean for what you do now?

Well, I started out in 2002 customizing sneakers throughout the neighborhood and I was working with a high school at the time doing a few pairs of Jordans, including the Concords (AJ XI) and we had them black and gold to go with the school’s uniforms. That automatically put something in my mind after seeing the other basketball team’s reactions looking at their shoes when we were on the court. From there I just started focusing on building up and getting clientele.

One of my friends was in the music industry and through his different connections, we just started meeting a lot of people and it was just one thing leading to another and we went to Nike and met up with a couple of guys over there, and it was just a beautiful situation that happened. We were able to be the first non-athletes to get a design deal with Nike to put our name on their products, so that was something unique and different. It spilled over into a whole lot of things, building relationships with other people and meeting new people while continuing to be creative.

How was it going from working with a local high school to working with the biggest name in sneakers at Nike?

That was a beautiful transition because I always had it in my mind to be a Nike designer when I was a little kid. My older brother used to wear all of the classic shoes, and even though my foot was too small at the time, I was inspired by that, just seeing how you look and how you interact with people in the streets.

Growing up in Harlem, it was like a fashion show every day. Just going outside you had to look good and that part of what the whole idea of Remix Da Kickz was. It was to come outside and look fresh and presentable, so you have something to have others talk about you, and you look even better when you have a fresh pair of kicks on because that’s the first thing people notice.

That was the whole thing with the basketball team as well because they were on the court and it was crazy how the other team was looking at their shoes and were distracted from the beginning. We ended up winning the game by like 25 points. Just the reactions of how shoes look can create conversations.

What was your very first inspiration to start customizing kicks?

I just had a pair of sneakers sitting in the corner; I think they were the Air Jordan IVs. At the time, everybody had the same exact shoes, so I was just like let me switch up a little something on my shoes just to make them look a little different from what everybody else has and that’s how it jumped off. I just added some green to the toe box area and left everything else black, so it was green with a little bit of red on the edge. That was one of my first pairs that I did.

I used to wear a lot of Air Jordans, but I had a friend who was an Air Force One head and then I hooked him up with a pair that he wore to the office and DJ Clue saw them and Fab saw them and they were like ‘When did those come out?’ That was the reaction that he got from wearing those shoes.

 

What has it been like getting the chance to work with a lot of high-profile clients who want you to customize shoes for them?

It’s good. You get to interact with them and be social and you see they’re just regular people at the end of the day. They just want to look good. We were at BET yesterday and we ran into a couple of guys who are up-and-coming artists. And they saw some of the stuff that we had, and we just made a collection from there. People always want to look good, and it’s just about putting your stuff in the right place.

What would you say is one of the craziest requests that you’ve gotten from someone?

At the time, there was this guy that wanted to make his shoes looks like diamonds. That’s one of the things that I’ve perfected now, how to make the shoe shimmer and sparkle because if you’re going to be on stage and you want everybody to focus on what you’re wearing as an artist. This was made for Usher back in the day. That was probably the illest. Air Force One low tops, so it looked like they were encrusted with diamonds. It was a type of paint I used to make it look like that, so when the light hit it, you’re going to see sparkles. He used those on his tour back around 2002 or 2003.

So what’s the future of Remix Da Kickz?

Currently, right now I’m still doing custom shoes for people who request them and just building new relationships through Nike. We will potentially be revamping Remix Da Kickz through Nike again and make it big this time with clothing and all that stuff. It’s just been taking some time because I’ve been working on other projects, but when the time is right, we’ll make it happen.

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Light grey suede nubuck upper and mesh come together on this premium New Balance M1300, made in the U.S.A and to be available in July for£139.00. Pre-orders from the 1st of June. Orange accents add color to a sober upper. Encap sole as usual.

It’s a perfect color for the fall, while the bright orange reminding you that if it’s fall now, can spring be far away once winter has come and gone.

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Saint Alfred, which operates out of Chicago has teamed up with Asics and the result is the Saint Alfred x Asics Gel Lyte III. The Gel Lyte III has served as a bedrock for the company, and on its strength it has grown to serve up other models.

This is an olive and birch suede creation that sits on a gum sole. The inspiration comes from Chicago’s lakefront. These arrive on June 1st. Take a look at the pics.

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The adidas Crazyquick “Lakers,” named so obviously because the purple, black and yellow color combination follows the news on Crazy Light 3. The TechFit and synthetic upper rests on a PureMotion midsole.

This sneaker, in the away colors of “Lakers,” is set for release later this year. A black and white herringbone rubber outsole promises good traction.

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New Balance gives us a look at what they have lined up for the Autumn / Winter releases of 2013. Three pairs of the 576 coming out of the company’s factory in Flimby will hit the stores in July in all their nubuck and reflective 3M glory. Two colorways of the New Balance 1500 and NB 620 each will also debut under this collection. The 1500 is made from bovine suede, leather, and mesh.

The U.S factory pitches in with the 996 in navy suede, the 990 in red pigskin, and the 1300 in grey nubuck. That’s a lot of releases and these hold something for everybody. Take a look at the images. Which ones are you earmarking for a purchase?

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The Adidas Crazy 8 “Oil Spill” appeared a few days back on a post here, it didn’t have a suitable moniker then. It has now. And certainly the shiny colors that segue into one another do look like a rainbow reminding oil spill. $110.00 gets you this piece. The Crazy 8 was at one time Kobe Bryant’s signature pair of kicks.

Pink branding appears on the tongue of this silhouette from the 90s which features green, pink, and purple colors. The upper rests on a Feet You Wear sole.

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