C2 x Counter Kicks – Nike Air Force One High

When I was given the opportunity to make a custom shoe for one of the premier sneaker information websites, CounterKicks.com, I was pretty excited. When it was decided that I would be working on an Air Force One High, then I became a little kid in a candy shop. To me, no other model represents custom sneaker culture as well as Nike’s success as a streetwear brand better than the Air Force One. Having done over 50 pairs of custom Air Force Ones in my lifetime, I’ve become quite familiar with every panel and stitch of the iconic Nike model. Despite this, until this pair, I have never worked on a pair of Highs.

For those who are unfamiliar with the work done over at Counter Kicks – get familiar. Their approach is “Counter-Intelligence on the Sneaker Industry”. From my experience, they provide an insight into the sneaker culture like no other website. Countless interviews with some of biggest and brightest in the industry are only a compliment to their unique features on topics such as Vulcanized rubber or Suede. Terms sneakerheads everywhere are quite familiar with but may not truly understand. Counter Kicks breaks these down to the Nth degree allowing even the most novice of collectors and heads to get a grip on what we call sneaker culture.

Now to the shoes. I took me more time than I expected to settle on a design and even changed this design several times throughout the painting process. The difficulty encountered when working on a shoe such as this is that some of the panels are so large due to the sheer size of this true high top that they can often dominate they design and ruin the entire composition. In addition, playing with the “counter-intelligence” theme of the site as well as their “suitman” logo inspired me to take a surreptitious approach to this custom. The result is a hard contrast composition, featuring a white forefoot with nearly all black mid/rear paneling. Thinking of new age techniques to stealth, the traditional leather swooshes were swapped for all black carbon fiber swooshes. This is complimented with woodland stealth camouflage on the lace panel and tongue than features a metallic pewter base. Signature C2 high-contrast flavor was added to keep things interesting and alive as bold yellow text runs along the heel as well as other bright yellow accenting throughout the design. Finally, the “suitman” logo is disguised within the camouflage on the tongue, only standing out by the yellow on the lens of his shades.