My story on Fox 5 San Diego (Video)

// February 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Videos, news

Great News!! Sole Junkie teamed up with Colt 45

// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events, news

After months of deliberation and meetings.

Yours truly has teamed up with Colt 45 to do a series of shoes to be displayed at the 2010 Sneaker Pimps Tour.

I think this is definitely  a good look for everyone involved and I’m excited to get started.

Unfortunately there will be no Sneak Peaks or Leaks of designs to come…I guess I’ll see you at the shows.

I’m keeping this short and simple…I got work to do.

One small step for an artist, a giant step for the movement!

Peace, Love and SOLE!

Clash of the Customizers

// December 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events, Sneakers, Videos, news

Yesterday was a stormy day in southern California. Definitely not a  night to drive 200+ miles to a sneaker event. But thats exactly what I did!

Me and my wife battled the rain and winds…not to mention all the dumb ass drivers that were trying to hit Mach One speeds while hydroplaning into the center dividers on the 5 freeway.

Yeah it was a sight. What would normally be an hour and half drive turned out to be about 3+ hrs.

So lets get to it…I was not about to miss the first annual Clash of the Customizers Show in LA.

Here I had the privilege to meet my fellow artist/peers and friends.

When you walk in you see a bunch of one of a kind sneakers hanging from the ceiling in acrylic cases.

Out of many…ONE kick ass show.

People were in awe and amazement while drooling over Sneakers.

Man this was some good shit.

I felt like I was visiting long lost family members…you know peeps you haven’t seen in a long time.

Heavy Hitters like Emmanuelabor, Stizo, Jester, Yoakustoms, Twitch, Image…the cats from Diversitile…and a bunch more. (Sorry if I missed your name on the list…I’m still tired…lol)

It was bananas. I was humbled to be in the presence of these people and inspired to greater things.

This actually felt like the beginning of a real movement.

I don’t have much more to say except if you missed it…then you missed out!

I did take some pics and a lil video…I’m sure the guys n gals there have more. Here’s what I got.

SOLE JUNKIE BOOK – HOLIDAY SALE!

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Events, news, publications

Sole Junkie Book. $19.95 for a limited time.

Sole Junkie: The Custom Kicks of Steven Cedré is a beautifully bound, museum-quality coffee-table book. It celebrates the artist’s work, his vivid imaginings, painted on a canvas of shoes, set to a pictorial backdrop of the visionary history of graffiti. The idea was to lay some pavement under the path of this truly intriguing brand of modern art.

For those not familiar with his work, Sole Junkie custom kicks are born in the true spirit of Hip Hop — building on what’s at hand and turning it into something entirely new. The artist focuses on his Latin heritage and his childhood experiences in the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop. Images of Tito Puente, Notorious B.I.G., Pedro Albizu, and Celia Cruz grace his these wearable masterpieces. His kicks have made appearances everywhere from Fortune 500 company boardrooms to concert stages worldwide.

*20% off until December 31, 2009. Free shipping is valid for items shipping to U.S. addresses. Offer limited to 5 books per customer.

LOUDreaming WITH SOLE JUNKIE & JACOB PATTERSON (Video)

// November 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Videos, news

Here at LOUDreams, we like shoes. So, this past week we headed

down to the Brewery Artwalk in LA to talk to shoe customizers

Sole Junkie and Jacob Patterson. With everything from watching

Jacob paint, to talking about the reality of the grind with Sole,

it was definitely interesting to see the people behind the designs.

Check out the videos of the interviews we did on location.

“The thing about a custom shoe is that it’s turning anywhere someone wears it into an artistic space…I just love the way my art is going into the world and changing a million different places at once”

- Jacob Patterson

“It just kills me that ‘coolness’ or ‘being cool’ won’t pay my rent…I don’t know if it’s ‘selling out’ to do stuff for big companies, but shit, man, artist’s gotta eat”

- Sole Junkie

My Healthcare Rant…F**k Off Glenn Beck!!

// August 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Videos, news

Our Health System SUCKS! Big Hairy Balls! I pay almost $800 a month just for me and my wife alone. I still have a crazy ass co-pay and still get billed for the portion that is not covered by my shitty, fucking, retarded, money hungry ass Ins Co. Yeah AETNA…I hope you and all your CEOs get raped by a BLUE WHALE!

I’m afraid of evening visiting the doctors…not for some type of hosptital phobia, but because of the fucking bills they are going to send me later on. Which of course will fuck up my “barely getting by” budget. I’ll pay the bill and be short on rent or the light or cable or food for my family.

I’m talking straight up with whoever is reading this. I’m not the only one feeling like this.

Not only are Ins Co. assholes, but they don’t even do a good job at treating you while you in the doctors office. They make you wait 1.5 hrs in the waiting room with an appointment. Then they call you back there just to have a Filipino nurse take your vitals and have you wait in another room for 1hr just so the doctor will look at you and ask you the same fucking questions the nurse just asked. Then about 2 minutes later he writes you a prescription for meds you can’t afford and says make a follow up appt with me for next week to see if your meds are working! In my head I’m like, “Listen here Doogie Howser, I could barely afford the co-pay and the time off of work for todays waste of time.”

And let your ass need to go to the ER…your fucked. Not only are the chances of you dying in the waiting room 90% probable, but if that germ and disease infested lounge don’t kill you your $3000 bill for the visit will!

I don’t think Obama can do much in a short period of time…shit I got faith in him, but I’m sure there are forces and powers greater than him that won’t allow him to make the corrections needed in this country. Shit what do I know about politics? I paint shoes! lol

What kills me is the fear for my children…the fear that we live in the greatest country on Earth and I pray that they never get sick. Hospitals will let you die if you don’t have an insurance card. There is no empathy, no sense of humanity in these people. There is a difference between being habitualness and just being an asshole.

I love how people are constantly reporting on this issue and do nothing about it. Feeling helpless sucks.

A perfect example of shitty reporting is this fuck face Glenn Beck…him and half of any of the other mildly retarded so called “journalists” will do and say anything for their job security….even talk out their ass. I’m starting a list of people that are going to burn in hell…I wonder whose going on it next?

Here’s a clip from the Daily Show to prove my point. Enjoy.

Nike Sportswear – Fall 2009 Dunk Hi Collection

// July 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Sneakers, Stuff I Like, news

For Fall 2009, the Nike Sportswear Dunk Hi Collection gets both basic and funky for their popular Dunk Hi model. The collection features more subtle styles in solid color-block such as a cool grey/olive green or a subdued concrete grey upper paired with flaming red swoosh and royal purple laces; and also trendier colorways of all-over artistic purple acid wash print and color-block solid uppers mixed with water-drop and paint splatter patterns. The eclectic mix of Fall 09 Dunk Hi Collection boasts something for everyone, so look out for the coming collection at Nike Sportswear.

Via: Freshness

Nike Lawyers…This is great.

// July 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // news

You Can’t Do That: A History of Nike Lawyers Giving Sneakers the Axe

Big news on the blogs today: Eddie Van Halen and his merch crew are suing Nike over a Dunk Low that looks like his Frankenstein guitar. Does it look like the iconic Van Halen print? Yes. Can they prove it? Doubtful. The lawsuit could potentially add a smidgen of press to promote the band’s next tour, but as far as money, chances of Eddie catching anything are low. What the suit will do, however, is likely get the sneakers taken off of shelves, removing a decent kick from the market. It’s no Nylon Dunk, but you know, for some kid out there, these are the perfect shoes to match his “Running with the Devil” T-shirt.

This whole process got us to thinking. Usually it’s Nike’s law team that is on the “taking sneakers off the shelf” tip. Whether it’s proactive to avoid a suit, or going after little guys trying to get a nut, their team is top notch, so it rarely comes to actual legal blows. Read on for some recent examples of the Swoosh cock-blocking the sneaker game because of a stupid little thing called “copyright laws”…

2005: NIKE SB DUNK HIGH PRO “GUCCI”

• The Gucci Dunks were originally supposed to be part of a Team Manager series, and were designed by the team at Girl Skateboards. Two problems with this one. Nike lawyers said, “No fucking way.” And Girl’s sister company, Lakai, was like, “Come on dudes, you can’t play us like that.” The sneaker has never come out, although a take down is due from regular Nike in a few months.

2003: NIKE SB DUNK LOW PRO “Heineken”

• Even when sneakers actually make it to the shelves, Nike lawyers are still the puppet masters. When the king of Dutch Beers got wind of the skate-kids calling the dunks pictured above the “Heineken” dunks, the liquor company allegedly issued a cease and desist to the Swoosh. Nike lawyers strong armed shops to pull the Dunks and the sister SB sneaker, the Air Angus “Pabst Blue Ribbon” off the shelves, to avoid any conflict. The limited quantity has since turned the Heineken Dunk into one of the most coveted (and counterfeited) sneakers on the marketplace, and it’s funny ’cause today, both Heineken and PBR would probably put up a pretty check to get their own SB. Ah well.

2006: ARI MENTHOL 10

• The Newport cigarette box has an upside-down Swoosh on it. Sneakers are addictive. Ari Foreman thought, “Hey, one plus one equals awesome!” Nike’s lawyers responded with, “One plus one equals get these sneakers the fuck out of ALIFE and Clientele before we kill your family.” And that was the end of that. Check Cinqua.com, the official site documenting the project.

2008: MIKE23 CHUCK

• Um, yeah. The MIKE brand was inspired by the great one, taking the elephant print from the Jordan III and putting it on all kinds of things like umbrellas, couches, sunglasses, and sneakers ‘inspired’ by the Chuck Taylor. Nike laywers, “Um, yeah. “Inspired” isn’t going to cut it. Give us those.” Robert Walker from the New York Times followed this closely.

2008: GOURMET

• Gourmet hasn’t officially spoken about the removal of the Jordan-esque silhouettes from its Spring 2009 line, a grouping of sneakers that defined the early years of the brand. It could be that they are one and done with the idea and are maturing to new design theories. Doubtful. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that the conversation went down behind closed doors a little like this: “Hey, Gourmet. It’s Jordan, and we’re sending you this piece of paper telling you to stop, but wanted to give you a call too. We know what you guys are doing, but we don’t want to go after you too hard since these are really sick, and since UNDFTD is such a key account we don’t want to mess anything up. Can you guys just stop? Pleeeease?” The new line is better without them anyway.

via: Complex

My thoughts on new Nike Sneakers

// June 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Sneakers, Stuff I Like, news

Granted…I am not the best blogger. I never claimed to be…I just like putting up stuff that catches my attention or that I like. Seldomly, those are 2 the same thing.

I have been bugging out on how many shoes NIKE has been pumping out. I mean its like they are running anchor on a 400 meter race! Are you running out of ideas in Beaverton?

They have a shit load of color ways that look garbage and materials that I personally dislike. Not as a customizer, but just as a consumer. Felt, textured leather, patent leather…some of this shit is cool…alot of it is a stretch.

I’m just glad that they are finally putting out some good kicks. Shit I don’t even know if this post made any sense?

Just me letting out a thought. lol

As a customizer, it kills me because I can’t paint of half that shit! lol

Recently NIKE put out a few gems. I can finally say I like. For instance these Blue Lobster SB Dunks they just released with Concepts…they are fucking FIRE! The original Orange ones were off the meat rack too.

The other gem is these Jones Beach AF1 los …those are pretty dope.. especially with that clear bottom and the silouhette in it. Nice touch.

The Jordan Hybrids are fire too. I’m not a true Jordan Head so…for these to grab my attention…I’m like wow.

Shit let NIKE fuck up and give me a green light to collabo…I will make Kanye Wests Air Yeezy’s look like Fisher Price “My First Kicks!”

I’m just saying…I’m hand making my shit…imagine if I can just give the order to a machine.

If some of you were mad at my Xbox Alpha Dunks before….wait until I add rocket fuel to your hate!

Yo someone tell NIKE to hire a customizer to really help them push the envelope. It doesn’t have to be me…just someone worthy of creative lisence!

Pics Via: Freshnessmag and Nicekicks

My XBOX Alpha dunks on G4TV! Look carefully and peep the rest too!

// May 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events, Sneakers, Videos, news, publications