JORDAN
JORDAN DEBUTED HIS "AIR JORDAN" SNEAKERS, ATHLETES ARE
INCREASINGLY USING FOOTWEAR TO EXPRESS
THEMSELVES.
SENAIT GEBREGIORGIS INTRODUCES
US TO A KENTUCKY ARTIST WHO IS4@
KEEPING
CELEBRITIES FUNKY AND FRESH.4@
MUSIC STARTS
MUSIC STARTS "A LOT OF PEOPLE MAKE FUN OF WOMEN FOR BUYING SO MANY SHOES
AND I'M LIKE I GOT TWICE AS
4@
4@ MANY
4@ MANY SHOES AS MY WIFE DOES."
4@4@
4@4@
4@4@ "SOMETIMES I WOULD GET THE SHOE
HALFWAY DONE AND BE LIKE NAW4@
THIS SUCKS AND THEN I'LL STRIP IT
DOWN AND
REDO IT."4@
EVERY JOURNEY NEEDS A FIRST
STEP.
"I REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN I
WOULD4@
GO CAMP OUT FOR A JORDAN
OVERNIGHT4@
UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING." YEARS
LATER, BILLY HOBSS IS FINDING
HIMSELF CAMPING IN HIS BASEMENT.
4@
"I HAD ONE PAIR I DI4@D IT TOOK
HIMSELF CAMPING IN HIS BASEMENT. 4@ "I HAD ONE PAIR I DI4@D IT TOOKE
25 HOURS4@
25 HOURS4@ TO DO AND I DIDN'T GET COMPENSATED
FOR THOSE 25 HOURS." A BASEMENT
TURNED STUDIO EXCLUSIVELY
FOR CUSTOMIZING SHOES. HOBBS IS 4@
AN
4@ AN
4@ AN ARTIST AND FOUNDER OF 'TRUE BLUE
CUSTOMS'
CUSTOMS'
CUSTOMS' "I WAS ALWAYS INTO ART LIKE ART
CLASS
CLASS
CLASS AND
CLASS AND I NEVER REALLY DID MUCH PAINTING4@
IT WAS ALWAYS LIKE DRAWINGS AND
STENCIL AND STUFF LIKE THAT."
HE STARTED CUSTOMIZING SNEAKERS 4@
FOR HIS SON AND FRIENDS.
"HAD A FEW CUSTOMERS LIKE IN NEW
YORK AND CHICAGO THAT I WAS
DOING AIR FORCE ONES FOR AND THEY
WERE JUST LIKE RANDOM THEMES AND
JUST LIKE PRINTABLE FABRIC,
CUT-OUT, GLUED ON THE SHOES YOU 4@
KNOW KIND OF GENERIC AND KIND
OF HORRIFIC ACTUALLY IF I LOOK
BACK AT THEM NOW LAUGHS THEY
WERE
PRETTY BAD."
BUT THE EFFORT KICKED OFF A
SOLID
SIDE HUSTLE.
HE TOOK HIS WORK TO SOCIAL MEDIA
TO4@
TO4@
TO4@ ATTRACT OTHER SNEAKERHEADS. SHOWING OFF HIS SHOE GAME ON4@
INSTAGRAM.
"TYLER ULIS REACHED
OUT AND WAS LIKE HEY CAN YOU DO
A
A
A PAIR
A PAIR OF
A PAIR OF SHOES FOR ME LIKE A PAIR
OF
OF
OF JORDAN'S AND I'M LIKE OH YEAH4@ THAT'S
AWESOME YOU KNOW COOL." BUT IT
WAS ONE PAIR THAT MADE HIM HIT4@
THE4@
GROUND RUNNING.4@
"ALL EYES ON KENTUCKY THAT YEAR
AND HE WORE THOS4@E AND I WAS
LIKE HOLY CRAP WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN
MYSELF INTO."
IN 2015, NBA PLAYER AND FORMER
UK
WILDCAT, WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN4@
MADE
ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET FOR HIS
PERFORMANCE IN THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT.
"HE DUNKED ON A DUDE AND LIKE
NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THE DUDE IS4@
AT NOW LAUGHS LIKE HE MURDERED
HIM."
ALL WHIL4@E WEARING THE SNEAKERS
HOBBS'S HANDS DESIGNED. "GOLD
PATENT LEATHER I MEAN
THEY WERE GAUDY, BRIGHT THE
SOLES I
DIED BLUE, I PUT TRILL ON THE
INSIDE OF
ONE SHOE AND THEN WCS ON THE
OTHER."4@
A MAGICAL DUNK THAT TURNED
SNEAKER
SENSATION INTO A BOOMING
BUSINESS.
"I THINK IT WAS A THURSDAY NIGHT
I
I
I WENT
I WENT TO
I WENT TO BED HAD LIKE 3 OR 4,000
FOLLOWERS SOMETHING KIND OF
SMALL, WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING
AND
AND
AND MY
AND MY EMAIL, INBOX WAS FLOODED AND
I HAD
I HAD
I HAD LIKE 10,000 FOLLOWERS IT JUST JUMPED UP BECAUSE EVERY SNEAKER
BLOG
BLOG
BLOG PICKED THEM UP AND AT THAT POINT
I WAS
I WAS
I WAS LIKE THIS IS REAL, THESE PEOPLE
ARE
ARE
ARE CRAZY
ARE CRAZY YOU KNOW PEOPLE REALLY LOVE
THIS STUFF."
A CRAZE THAT WAS HARD TO IGNORE.
"I SERIOUSLY SIT IN THIS CHAIR
PROBABLY 80 OR 90 HOURS A WEEK. YEAH I
LOVE IT
AND YOU HAVE TO."
SO MUCH SO, THAT HOBBS LEFT HIS
PEPSI
PEPSI
PEPSI PLANT JOB OF 12 YEARS, TO FASHION
FULL-TIME.
FASHION FULL-TIME. "IT'S KIND OF FUNNY LOOKING BACK
NOW
NOW
NOW BECAUSE WHEN I QUIT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WORKED WITH WERE
LIKE YOU'RE CRAZY.
"AND THEN NOW IT'S LIKE I DO
WORK FOR SOME OF4@ THEM LIKE SOE
OLD BOSSES CALL ME AND SAY HEY I
WANT SOME SHOES FOR MY
DAUGHTER." SINCE OPENING HIS DOWNSTAIRS
STUDIO
STUDIO IN
STUDIO IN 2011, HOBBS HAS CUSTOMIZED THOUSANDS OF SHOES FOR BIG NAMES ON AND OFF THE
COURT AND FIELD. "JUSTIN
TIMBERLAKE'S GOT A PAIR OF MY
SHOES."
"PAUL MC4@CARTNEY I'VE DONE CHUK
TAYLORS FOR HIM." SNOOP DOGG,
THOMAS RHETT FROM OKC'S HAMIDOU DIALLO TO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBAL4@L PITCHER,
JEROME WILLIAMS.
"AND THEIR AGENCIES THEY WOULD
SEND
SEND ME
SEND ME 20 PAIRS OF CLEATS AND SAY OKAY THIS IS FOR MOTHER'S DAY, FATHER'S DAY, JULY 4TH."
WHEN WE VISITED HOBBS HE WAS
WORKING ON A PAIR OF4@
CHICAGO-THEMED
JORDANS FOR CINCINNATI REDS
CATCHER, TUKER BARNHART. SOME
SHOES TAKE ABOUT AN HOUR OR TWO,
WHILE
WHILE
WHILE OTHERS NEED 18 OF HIS ATTENTION.
"MY FAVORITE I4@S WHEN YOU SAY
BILLY I WANT THIS THEME DO YOUR THING.
THAT'S THE BEST BECAUSE THEN I
GO IN WITH AN IDEA IN MY HEAD4@
AND IT JUST
4@4@4@
4@4@4@
4@4@4@ 4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@ KIND OF EVOLVES."
AND CELEBRITIES ARE THE ONLY ONES
ROCKING HIS LATEST DESIGNS. "A
LOT OF THEM ARE LIKE FOR KIDS,
FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING
TRIBUTE TO4@
SOMEBODY IN THEIR FAMILY THAT
THEY'VE4@
LOST."
THEY'VE4@ LOST." IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING WHICH
PAIR IS HIS FAVORITE?4@
"EVERY TIME SOMEBODY ASKS ME
THAT I ALWAYS SAY MY LAST PAIR."
WHEN WE WERE THERE, IT WAS WHAT
HE
HE
HE PERSONALIZED FOR WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN.
"I WOULD STAY UP AT 2 O'CLOCK IN
THE
THE
THE MORNING EVERY GAME ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO WATCH KOBE
PLAY AND I WOULD HAVE TO GET UP
AT 6
AT 6
AT 6 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING THE NEXT
DAY."
DAY."
DAY." THE
DAY." THE SAME LOVE AND RESPECT THAT WILLIE WANTED TO EMBODY IN HIS
LATEST PAIR. SNEAKERS DEDICATED
TO THE LATE LAKERS LEGEND, KOBE
BRYANT.
BRYANT.
BRYANT. "I JUST LIKE DOING IT I DON'4@T REALLY HAVE A LABEL FOR MYSELF."
"MY FAMILY FOR ONE IS PROBABLY
MY MAIN INSPIRATION BECAUSE THIS
IS
IS WHY
IS WHY I
IS WHY I DO IT." JUMPING HEAD FIRST AND LANDING ON TWO
FEET.
A RISK THAT MADE A PERFECT FIT.
"AS FAR AS WHERE IT'S GOING TO
GO LIKE I'M CONTENT WITH BEING HERE IN MY STU4@DIO AND I DON'T
KNOW WHERE IT'S
GOING TO TAKE ME FROM NOW, I
DON'T THINK 4@CUSTOMIZAT4@ION IS
GOING ANYWHERE.
...I THINK IT'S GOING TO GET
BIGGER AND
BIGGER."
SENAIT GEBREGIORGIS, WHAS11
NEWS. MUSIC PLAYS AND
FADES
FADES
FADES TO
FADES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TRUE BLUE
CUSTOMS, HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE WHAS11 DOT
4@
COM OR
4@ COM OR
COM OR
COM OR 4@4@
4@4@
4@4@4@4@
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