From the Feet Up Customs Paints Personalised Pairs for the Cycling World
Custom colourways and artful shoes are a staple of the sneakersphere and sporting field. For Matthew Ralph, aka , he’s bringing the world of airbrushed Airs and heritage homages to the peloton. As it turns out, the demand for personalised cycling shoes has Ralph putting his airbrush in the big ring! Here’s what he has to say about the scene.
When did you first recognise a growing market for custom cycling shoes?
Around five years ago, work by a customiser called ArtfulKicks kept popping up on my Facebook feed. Although I never felt I would become a cycling shoe customiser at the time, I did think to myself, ‘This is a nice niche market.'
I approached a few people within cycling clubs and asked if I could customise their shoes in exchange for the cost of materials only. Within a few customs, I had people offering to pay full price and things went from there.
At the start of 2021, I customised a pair of Specialized S-Works cycling shoes for racing driver Gustavo Menezes to match his driving shoes. After posting them on Instagram, I started getting requests for other cycling shoes with my own spin on them based on existing sneakers, and it hasn't stopped ever since.