THE START OF A22CUSTOMS
My name is Alex Andrews of a22customs. I am a Senior at Purdue University studying Graphic Design and Business. My lifelong passion for art has guided me to engage in various creative endeavors—from paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry, and more!
The beginning of my business stems from my lifelong interests in art and footwear. I’ve always wanted to share my art with others and I thought this was a perfect way. I created my first ever pair in March 2020, commemorating my friend Ryan’s high school graduation with a pair of Nike Court Vision Lows featuring a vibrant Pokemon theme centered around Pikachu. Despite the uncertainty of handling my first shoe customization, diligent research, resource gathering, and a week-long dedicated effort, I was able to create my first hand-painted pair of custom shoes. Using a combination of yellow Angelus acrylic paint, black sharpies, and affordable acrylics, I meticulously adorned the shoes with freehand designs, presenting them to Ryan, who was thoroughly impressed. His suggestion to extend this creativity to a larger audience sparked the idea of crafting and selling customized shoes.
In the ensuing months, I embarked on a personal journey of creating pairs for myself, family, and friends, showcasing each pair on Instagram. Soon enough word had gotten around and people started asking for pairs of their own, especially kids from my Highschool. A lot of people were super interested. I created a logo, printed some cheap business cards from Office Max, and bought better supplies to use to create the artwork on the shoes. Establishing a functional workspace within my dining room, equipped with essential materials such as Angelus acrylic leather paint, an airbrush, brushes, and filters, laid the groundwork for my growing business. The launch of a Facebook page garnered substantial interest, causing a surge in orders and necessitating enhanced efficiency in the shoe creation process.
As my expertise evolved, I diversified into crafting specialized cleats, initially experimenting with personal pairs and gradually extending my reach to high school and collegiate athletes. Today, my clientele spans from local neighbors seeking personalized holiday gifts to movie enthusiasts and athletes at high school, college, and professional levels, each receiving a one-of-a-kind, personalized pair of shoes or cleats.
