Fredericton native paints footwear to mix love of style, artwork

When 24-year previous Matthew Russell from Fredericton is not on the fitness center or striking out with friends and family, he is portray footwear — together with his personal assortment even together with round 20 to twenty-five pairs of custom designed footwear. 

Russ Customs began in January 2021 when Russell noticed an commercial for painted footwear on Instagram and sought after to take a look at it for himself. 

“I were given the fundamental stuff and made a couple for myself and posted it,” stated Russell. “It roughly simply … took off from there.”

Sneaker tradition

When Russell was once more youthful, he stated he was once creative however by no means discovered an outlet that he may just sit down down with for a very long time. 

“I have at all times been into footwear and garments,” he stated. “When I painted that first one, I roughly fell in love with it.”

Russell stated maximum of his shoppers order the footwear to put on. He stated he makes use of fine quality merchandise and seals the designs so they may be able to final in any climate. 

However some purchase the footwear simply to show. Out of Russell’s non-public assortment, he says he simplest wears about 5 pairs.

Russell stated a small design takes no less than 3 to 4 hours however he is additionally performed paintings that has taken 60 to 70 hours. No longer together with the price of the footwear, Russell fees as low as a $100 to over $400 for classy designs. 

His primary buyer base is in Fredericton via phrase of mouth, however he is additionally had some pairs pass so far as Ontario, or even despatched a couple to Mexico. 

Coming into the pinnacle area 

Russell says he most often makes use of his topics for inspiration, particularly if he is paying tribute to popular culture.

“If I am doing a shoe that is a few display, I love to place the display on or if it is a few positive artist, I’m going to put the artist on,” he stated. 

His designs vary from complete protection art work, with a lot of them coming from motion pictures or TV presentations to smaller designs at the facet of the shoe. 

Russell stated his favorite are the anime customs as a result of they permit him to be inventive with patterns.

He is additionally happy with a couple that characteristic Pennywise from the film It (2017).

The longer term 

Portray footwear is just a part-time gig for Russell, however he does hope to develop, and hopes so as to add nicer digicam and new apparatus to provide the trade a “top rate glance.”

“I believe like my paintings is getting significantly better,” stated Russell. “I wish to … [keep] simply doing larger footwear — extra crazier, time-intensive footwear.”

Russell stated his favorite section concerning the task is making an attempt out new issues. 

“I have at all times in point of fact beloved footwear and I have at all times beloved garments,” he stated. “I simply discovered that outlet the place I may just use the creative stuff that I do not in point of fact use any place else [and] it simply roughly meshed in combination in point of fact excellent.”