Meet Vince Bartozzi. While you may not know his name, chances are your iPhone or laptop is wrapped in one of his killer designs. Vince is the creative genius behind the mega successful MusicSkins company - a brand that has generated a hefty bank roll from removable vinyl skins and super fresh designs. What most don't know is that Vince is first and foremost a die-hard sneaker head, with a collection of kicks to make you salivate! With friends in high places, Bartozzi has been able to cop a crate of grails like no other, thanks to his partnership with some of the scene's best artists and sneaker collaborators. We were incredibly fortunate to grab some time with the vinyl skin master and find out how he turned his passion into millions!
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Hey Vince! Let the people know exactly who you are and what you do!
Day Job - I own a company called MusicSkins, which hopefully people have seen around or have visited to make a purchase. MusicSkins are fully removable vinyl skins for electronic devices (iPhones, iPods, Laptops, iPads, E-Readers, PSP, etc) - the cool thing about the product is that all of the images on our skins are licensed - from The Beatles to Bob Marley, Mishka to Ron English as well as fashion, media, and entertainment properties. We have skins for Sneaker Freaker. We also just added TV Shows from HBO, Showtime, MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon..
Who I am - let's see. This is a tough one! I used to be an athlete (now retired from all physical activity - unless someone really wants to lose in one on one), I'm a huge music fan (None of this BS - I like all types of music! - I'm a hip hop head - been that way since I was trying to get my dad to buy me the re-release Jordan Is in 1994). Don't get me wrong I like other music, but people who can't tell you what type of music they really like are annoying. Opinion! Truth-be-told I'm a music kid, art appreciator, fashion accelerator - SNEAKER HEAD. I like classy things and sometimes I like flashy things. When it's all said and done - sometimes you've got to show off and sometimes you've got to play it cool.
Well you must be able to retire pretty soon right?
Of course - if it weren't for my sneaker purchasing habits I'd already be retired. (Not really! I'd have a real purchasing problem if we could get some Jordan retros with the Nike Swoosh logo instead of the (played out) Jumpman logo and some retro air max 95s with the flip-top box!)
Funnily enough there is an ulterior motive to creating MusicSkins... tell us about your sneaker fetish and how it links into MS?
YES - working at MusicSkins allows me to work with a ton of artists, brands, and companies in the sneaker world, which is really amazing. The sneaker game is all about who you know. I have the luxury of having a business relationship before the personal relationship, which always helps. Making people money is an easy way to get a pair of samples 6 months before they drop. On top of all of that I get to work with guys like Woody and Remi and the whole SF crew. Basically, I'm running a business that allows me to still do the things I love and work with people that I want to work with.
Yeah your roster of collaborations is like a marketing wet dream!
I've been fortunate enough to become great friends with a lot of the people we work with. There are a bunch of folks like Dave White, Virtual Mo, and Jeff McMillan that I'll be friends with way beyond MusicSkins and that is something special. Some of the other people we work with are SBTG, Methamphibian, Explodingdog, Cope2, Chuck Anderson, Estevan Oriol, Benny Gold, Derek Hess, Alex Pardee, Ron English, and others.
I'm sure this has led to an incredible collection of kicks...
Yeah, I'm a huge head! Been one since I can remember. I look back to when I was 5 or 6 years old and I hated to get my sneakers dirty. I kept them fresh for months. Not much has changed! I've held onto shoes from when I was a kid. In middle school I knew where all the spots were. My sneaker obsession is a couple parts, as it is for a lot of heads, it starts out as a lust for sneakers you can't afford or you can't get your hands on. For me it was the "couldn't afford part." The footlocker by my house always had the shoes I wanted and always had my size, but no one in my family had $100+ for sneakers to give me. I was a big athlete growing up and into college (played basketball at Georgetown) so the only shoes I got from my parents were for playing sports - there was no such thing as $150 air max 95s to walk around in. I walked around in my Reebok pumps from last basketball season! The second part is the fact that sneakers are in my blood. My uncle, god bless him, was a huge head in the 70s and 80s. He used to buy 4 pairs of waffle trainers at a time. My grandmother gave away 4 brand new pairs of original Jordan Is to a homeless shelter when he passed away without knowing what she gave away (Amongst 100 other deadstock original Nikes). My uncle collected shoes when people thought he was nuts for buying 4 pairs of the same shoe at a time. I like to think he was buying them for me.
I really started collecting when I was in high school. I knew the whole Footlocker game, the Jordan release dates, etc. The sneaker that really blew my mind was the original Air Max 95 Neon with the Air Max flip top box. That was the shoe everybody had around my way. I wanted the shoe so bad, but I didn't even ask my dad once I saw the price tag. In college I started spending any money I had on sneakers. I was trying to get my hands on all of the sneakers I wanted back in 94/95/96 . I did spring break in Amsterdam in 2001 and wound up maxing out 3 credit cards on Air Max 95s and Jordan 11 re-releases. The day I walked into the Footlocker in Amsterdam in 2001 was one of the greatest days ever. They had every Jordan 11 retro colorway and 10+ colorways of original AM 95s. I bought 15 pairs of shoes that day and had no money for months!
Over the past 10-12 years I've made tons of contacts and tons of friends in the sneaker game. It got rough for a couple years, 2004-2007 because everybody wanted to collect sneakers (or resell sneakers), but now things have calmed down a bit. I'll never forget when the first Nike artists series dropped at ALIFE in NYC. There were 150 kids in line all night to get 12 pairs of Espos and 12 pairs of the Pharrell dunks. I stopped by the store the day before to say hello to some of my homies and the line had already started. The guys were showing me this new clear shoe ("Espo") that everyone was buzzing about - I'd never seen it before. I thought they were cool so I asked for two pairs, which was my normal practice. For the first time, the fellas at ALIFE could only sell me one pair because they only had 12 and there were 150 kids ready to break down there doors. I thought the shoe was innovative, artistic, and unlike anything I'd ever seen. So naturally I needed two pairs. Unfortunately the majority of the people in line (who only allowed me to get one pair), were out there not for the love or the appreciation of sneakers, but to make some quick cash! I'm not hating, everybody has their own hustle - I guess I've just never waited outside for 48 hours for mine.
Why do they fascinate you so much?
I love the artistic aspect of sneakers. I think sneakers are another medium for artists. I love that sneakers allow art to have function. I'm fascinated how sneakers have progressed over the past 25 years and how technology and innovation continue to push the envelope. The other piece is that I just love sneakers. There is a high that you get when you crack a fresh pair out of the box and walk out of your house. I love that feeling - I guess it can be compared to the way people love to gamble or do drugs (not that intense - but similar)
Tell us about this humidor....
Damn - I forgot I told you about this. I have one in my house that I built. It keeps the old ones nice and crispy. LOL - I have a company launching in 2011 that will be building custom humidors for sneaker connoisseurs. Just like wine and cigars need to be kept properly - so do sneakers. There is nothing worse than having the sole of an original Air Max 95 disintegrate the moment you wear it for the first time. Temperature and humidity control = preservation.
Do you really have 160 pairs of 95s? Were there even that many colourways produced?
I have more like 250 pairs, but only 150 colorways. Last time I counted, which was a couple years ago, there were around 215 colorways all together and I could be wrong. I've always picked up the ones I like. Over the past 2-3 years I have skipped a lot of colorways. I'm not a huge fan of the newer leather models. I'm a suede guy all the way.
Sheesh - that's bananas!
Yeah, it was the shoe that set it off for me. The "grail"! I saw it back in 95 and wanted it, but couldn't get my hands on it till the 2001 retro. I now have over 150 colorways and have managed to track down all of the original "flip top" box colorways.
You've got some insanely limited pieces in your collection too - Are we talking hook ups here or did you actually dig the stores for these killer kicks?
It was through friends and contacts. I was friends with a lot of the guys who opened stores or worked at the spots in NYC and DC. A lot of the super limited shoes came from friends and some came from friends of friends. I went to a lot of stores, with large lines, and walked out the back with my shoes. I don't want to sound like "that guy," I had been buying shoes from these guys for years before people started lining up for a pair of dunks. When I started seeing lines in front of the stores I assumed they were for a Jordan I had missed (people had been waiting in line for Jordans for years), but when I heard it was for a dunk or "limited edition" shoe I almost lost my shirt laughing. All good though - lots of kids made a good living doing their thing with sneakers.
For someone with such a diverse collection, what's your ultimate holy grail?
TWO pairs: OG AM 95 Neon w/ flip top box deadstock 10.5 and OG Jordan I black/red w/ Nike box deadstock 10.5 - the 95 is my all time favourite pair and the other was my uncle's favourite - I have both of them now.
There's gotta be a MusicSkin in that yeah?
I'm working on that with my friend Virtual Mo. Mo is the man - if you're not familiar with Mo's work - Google him. His work is unreal and he's an even better guy.
What's up next for MusicSkins?
2011 - NEW WEBSITE has launched. Check out MusicSkins.com!
