Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Hi, my name is April Wallace. I'm the features editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, and I'm here with Hannah, who is going to introduce herself.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: My name is Hannah de la O.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: How would you say that? Are you a sneaker artist, or how would you describe it?
[00:00:24] Speaker B: No, I.
I've done a lot of different art. I feel like I don't have one thing in particular that I like to do. I just like to help people make their visions come to life with whatever they need. So I've done logos and clothing, jackets, shoes, jeans.
I've done just, like, backdrops for different events, signs. So I've done a lot of different random things. But, yeah, I just like to help people create visions that they can't put together.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: So it can be different every time it sounds like.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:04] Speaker A: Well, I got connected with you because I am taking a look at the upcoming suits and sneakers, Gayla, and the interesting sneakers that people get ahead of the event. And you are one of the people who can provide and customized designs for their kicks or whatever the kids are calling it, right?
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: So I'd love to start with, you know, what you believe, you know, kind of your philosophy on sneakers. I feel like maybe it's kind of a recent thing that we want our sneakers to be unique and customized in this way.
What do you feel about that trend? Is it, do you think it's new, or do you think people have been doing this kind of thing for years with other items?
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know. I feel like there's been a lot of different ways for people to express themselves. And I feel like it's been a pretty recent thing where people realize they could put their art on a bunch of different things. Like I said, like jackets, jeans, and it used to just be like, accessories that you put on that would make it. You could express yourself. But it's been really great to see people get creative and just.
Just go with what they feel and not feel like they're held back by anything just because they buy it the way it is. You can just change it no matter what.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Oh, right. That's a great point.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:30] Speaker A: Well, I kind of wonder, and you tell me what you think, but I kind of wonder if the pandemic had sent us a little bit into a more casual, you know, in what we choose to wear or if, like, this whole wearing sneakers to a more formal event is kind of a nod that, like, sneakers are a little more fancy than what they used to be.
[00:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like it's a fun way to I, for a while, I was a nurse, and I feel like my shoes were my, like, pop of personality. And so I feel like, because everybody had the same scrubs or, you know, just different colors and. But they were pretty plain. So I feel like around then is when I really started just buying a lot of stickers. Cause I feel like that was the way I could express myself. And, I don't know, I feel like the way that they're making them and the different designs they have, they can be more formal now, and they can still add flair and not be too casual at any event.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Oh, I like that. So your personality was coming out.
What kinds of sneakers did you have back then when you were working as a nurse?
[00:03:40] Speaker B: It was mainly, I hadn't started painting them, but it was just I would do a lot of the neons or change the laces and just things like that first, but I didn't start painting till not long ago, so. But I just loved it.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
Well, tell me some of the projects that you had before you got into sneakers. You mentioned jackets and jeans.
What was maybe one of your first that you really got into providing for people?
[00:04:10] Speaker B: I think my mom works at the heart association, and so they were doing an event and needed just some help with just little things and little backdrops and things or signages to put on online and help get their visions out. And so I started doing that. And then I had a friend whose husband needed or worked at the Razorback foundation, and they just had their person leave, and so they just needed some help with making some signage and, like, programs and magazines for their upcoming event. And so I just did little things like that. And then I had a friend that needed a logo for their company that they wanted to do, and so I did that. So it just kind of domino? Yes, Domino. But, yeah, it was good.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: Well, it's very different going from creating signs and logos to creating art on clothing and then sneakers. So tell me about that transition.
How do you then make your vision onto fabric?
[00:05:13] Speaker B: And then, yeah, I think.
I'm not sure. I think I just like to help. And so a lot of the stuff I was just telling myself, even if I didn't know how to do it yet, I could figure it out. And so if someone asked me if they could do shoes, I was like, sure, I think I could do that. And so I would research what kind of paint you needed and things like that. And so I just had a hard time saying no to people because I wanted to, like, really help out and make them happy and so I would research a lot for whatever I needed, but I've learned a lot of different things for different fabrics and clothing, and it's been great.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Tell me about the process, then, for shoes, you gotta prep them, I assume. Are there shoes that are better for this kind of.
[00:06:04] Speaker B: Yeah, there's. I've done some cotton shoes with, like, like a vans kind of fabric, and so those are different. And then the nike ones are what a lot of people like. And I. There's a certain.
It's almost like what you put on your nails to take off your polish, but there's a certain thing you put on there to kind of wipe down. There's an outer layer on them, so if you don't wipe it off, it doesn't stick as well. So there's little things you can do and then certain paint to use. And those posca paints are great, and they're convenient because they're in pins. You don't have to get. Oh, nice. The paints and acrylic. So, yeah, it's great. And they have thicker and smaller. They're making a ton now from when I've first started.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: Interesting. So probably more people are doing that.
[00:06:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:52] Speaker A: Yeah. Tell me about the first pair of sneakers that you dressed up.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Oh, wow. I think it was for the suits and sneakers when we first did it, and I was very nervous.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: Yeah, no pressure. Yes.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: Because she had someone, their person quit that was supposed to do it. They didn't show up. And so it was. I think it was the day before or the day of the event, and she asked me if I could do it.
[00:07:22] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:07:23] Speaker B: I was like, I think I could do it. And so I showed up, and I don't even remember.
It was all a blur because I was terrified that I was going to mess up or make a mistake. And I think I added eraser back and just little colors, and I. But, yeah, it was great.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: That is really not much time. That is not much lead time.
[00:07:48] Speaker B: Yep. But I love. I knew Casey well because she worked with my mom and she worked there, and she was like, I know you do this stuff for your mom. Do you think you can help? And I was like, I think I can. So. But, yeah, it was great.
[00:08:01] Speaker A: You probably spent a mad night of research.
[00:08:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:08:06] Speaker A: Okay, well, do you remember, like, did you get to see the person who the shoes went to?
[00:08:12] Speaker B: No. They were going to just be auctioned off that night, so whoever, they would walk by the table and watch you paint. And I remember it was.
I think they had, like, almost like a circus event.
Oh, and I put a basketball on it. It's coming back. But my sister came with me, and I remember after I finished painting the shoes, I told her everything was good. And she was like, you can stay or go. And I was asking my sister, you know, what we were going to do or leaving, and she was like, did you see? They had people on stilts, they had all these things. And I was like, I don't remember any of that because I was just so in the zone trying to focus. But, yeah, it was great.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: You had a mission.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:53] Speaker A: You could not be taking in the rest of the room.
So after that, you then made some more. Right. So how did you, did you have other people contact you afterward? Like, I want?
[00:09:05] Speaker B: Yeah. So a lot of it was word of mouth, and so because I did that for them, and there was a lot of people that they knew coming to the event. Some of their friends or their co workers would contact me. And she was like, she did the shoes. She could do them for you. So, yeah, it just started kind of snowballing from there.
[00:09:25] Speaker A: Did you get a lot of orders right away?
[00:09:27] Speaker B: It was, yeah, right away. And then it would kind of ebb and flow. And then before every event, the last event, there was a lot more that time. And so it was really fun. There was a family that wanted it, and it was really special. They were doing a documentary on their son with autism, and so that all of their family wanted some shoes that for the event, but also to represent documentary into what was coming up there. And I had a great time doing those. How special. Yeah.
[00:09:56] Speaker A: So did theirs match or just like, in theme?
[00:09:59] Speaker B: Yeah, a lot of them were red razorback still, but then a lot of them had the autism awareness and the name of the documentary on the shoe, so.
[00:10:09] Speaker A: How sweet.
[00:10:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:12] Speaker A: When someone tells you what they want in a shoe, what are they normally saying? Just colors, designs? Do you, is there any point which you're like, I'm not sure if I can do that.
[00:10:26] Speaker B: There are some where I'll say, like, if it's, the space is too small, it's a lot of detail. I say I can still try, but it might not have as much detail as you see in the original. But what I'll usually do is ask them what colors, what they're looking for, if there's anything specific they want, or if I can add stuff and I'll kind of create a mock up on my computer and send it to him and we can go from there. But, yeah.
[00:10:52] Speaker A: Could you describe some examples for me of various things that you've done.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I've done a lot of paint splattering.
A lot of people like that, which is fun for me, too, but taping it off is hard. But I've done that. And then we've done, like, leopard print and stripes and stars and a lot of different razorbacks. And then I did one for.
I even had someone contact me that was from. That was working up here, but was from UAPB. And they did, they wanted their school with the gold, and everything was a little hard for me, but I was like, I can do this. It'll be fine.
He's still up here. And we won, so it's okay, right? Oh, but, yeah, I've done a lot of different. Different ones. I did some Disney ones for some people and some different high schools that wanted their shoes. Their high school. And.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Oh, do athletes get their number on my shoes? Yeah.
[00:12:00] Speaker B: Yes.
I recently had someone ask if one of the. Oh, I did some baseball shoes for the moms of some of the players to represent their sons. And I did have someone ask if their son wore. If I could paint on their cleats, too, for their number and something.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: So I would think that would be tricky. On cleats.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:21] Speaker A: You know, they might get roughed up a little faster than the other.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: That's what I do say. It's, you know, shoes are shoes, and you walk on them and they'll, some wear and tear, but it's unpreventable.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Right. So, aftercare, do you tell people how to, like, make it last as long as possible?
[00:12:38] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I usually also, when I'm designing them, there's some spots I've learned on the shoes where your foot bends, and so if you do a more solid, it can ease, you can see it crack over time easier. So I've not recommended doing. If people want it in certain places, I'd say, you know, we can move it to here, here to help it stay longer. But, yeah, the acrylics should last. And I always say, if you need a touch up, I can do that, too, over time. Yeah.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Okay. As far as trends, were there things that you saw a couple years ago and now maybe there are different things that people are asking for these days?
[00:13:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it was a lot of the stripes and stars and leopard or cheetah print was for a while, and now a lot of people are requesting the paint splatters. So I feel like it just. It'll keep changing depending on the person. It'll evolve. Yeah, yeah.
[00:13:40] Speaker A: The paint splatters do sound cute. I can see that being kind of evergreen.
[00:13:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Do you have a customized pair for yourself?
[00:13:50] Speaker B: I do. I'm wearing them.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Describe them to me.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: I did the cheetah print and then I painted the Nike swoosh. And then I put the razor back on one side.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: I like them.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: They're so cute.
[00:14:06] Speaker A: Are there people who request, like, a difference in the razorback? Like, some people might like the vintage more or some people might like the more recent one or just the hog head or. Yes.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: I did the family that did a bunch of different shoes. I did a lot of different razorbacks, but a lot of them are the, like, slobber hog. But I am recently working on the one, the leaning hog. Oh, that was harder, but a bit tricky, especially on the angle or trying to paint on the swish is where you have to put it.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:14:36] Speaker B: Kind of have to get around it, make sure. But it almost looks 3d, so it's kind of cool. But that was the first time I did that. Wow. Interesting.
[00:14:46] Speaker A: And you kind of did on whichever shoe people bring you. Right. But do you have a preferred, like, easiest shoe to.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: I don't think I preferred one, but a lot of people like the Nike ones. And as long as I usually just have to pick which style and what kind they like and then they can get it to me that way so I don't have to try and figure out which one. Cause there's so many different ones in the Nike brand, so.
[00:15:14] Speaker A: But, yeah, exactly.
Can I ask, is there a range of, like, how much you ask for customization?
[00:15:22] Speaker B: Yeah, it's usually there's this small range in the. Maybe like, between like a $50 gap on some, but then I've had some people do the, um, gems added, like. So I realized very quickly I had to charge a little bit more for those because it's, yeah, meticulous on there. And so it took a while to get all the little beads on there, but it looks really cool, so it's worth it.
[00:15:51] Speaker A: Right now. Are you going to be doing this on site at the next suits?
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Yes, they did ask me to come back and I'm excited to go back and do it again.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do this time. I always try and think of it beforehand so it's not as stressful.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: Right. So you don't have to reinvent the wheel.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:16:13] Speaker A: How long does it normally take you to do a customization? I can imagine it would vary a lot depending on.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: Yeah, depending on adding the gems takes a lot longer. But usually the designing part and nailing that down is, like, longest process, just because someone, to make sure I'm getting what they want on the right side, that they want the right color they want.
And so once they see it, they can kind of tweak it, and I can adjust it on my computer. So that part takes the longest, I would say usually two weeks, and then I can paint up within a couple days, depending on what we're doing with the kids.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: Very important consideration.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Well, Hannah, thank you so much. This has been really great, and I wish you the best of luck with the next suits and sneakers.
[00:16:58] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you for having me.
[00:17:07] Speaker A: I'm April Wallace. I'm the features editor with the northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. And so I'm here to learn about you and your, your art and how you got involved with suits and sneakers.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: Also, my actual name is LaMondre Nelson, but I go my goofy dude customs as far as, like, the shoe side.
So basically what had happened? I was customizing shoes for, like, I don't know, probably, like, two years.
Just so happened came back, and I had reached out to Ryan.
I reached out to somebody that took pictures for, like, the Arkansas Razorback, and he told me about this guy named Ryan, and I reached out to Ryan, which was, like, the video choreographer or something like that.
He actually, like, introduced me to, like, Eric Muslim, and so I had to dismantle shoe for Eric Muslim.
Then, like, a few months later on down the line, Miss Danielle had reached out to me to actually come out to the event. I, like, do some shoes. So that's kind of basically, in a nutshell, that's basically how all day.
[00:18:17] Speaker A: Very good. That's a pretty neat opportunity.
So it's been a few years that you've done it, is that right?
[00:18:24] Speaker C: Last year we do. Was it last year? I think it was, like, year last year or year before last? Um, where we had, I think was, like, year before last, where we had went down there and did, like, one more event.
But, you know, like, Eric Musman, they went to a different school and stuff, so I haven't, haven't really been hearing too much about anything about down there, honestly.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: Well, describe for me, you know, what you do to dress up a sneaker. Like, what are the sorts of things that you do to make them desirable for fun things like this?
[00:19:06] Speaker C: I don't know, man.
Honestly, I just, I started because I like shoes myself, but honestly, like, I usually just have, like, the people tell me, like, kind of what they want, and I just kind of throw my own skin on it. I really don't like making the same shoes twice, so I kind of just always throw my own spin on the shoe.
I mean, I guess that's really. I just go based off what they tell me, like, what they interested in, like, what colors they want and stuff like that. And then the kind of go from there. But it's like, like an eight hour process.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: 8 hours to. To customize it for them?
[00:19:47] Speaker C: Yeah, like six to 8 hours, really, depending on what, like, what goes on in the shoe.
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Right. So give me an example of something that someone's asked you to do with their sneakers.
[00:19:57] Speaker C: Um, it's actually a.
It's actually a woman down there. Her name is her last name. Miss. Miss Flit. I think I'm saying her name right. Oh, she's actually probably, like, one of my favorite clients for. Down there. I had to her some pop tart shoes, like, for the pop tart bowl. So it was like a football game or whatever it's called, like, the pop tart bowl.
So I did her two pair, like, pop tart shoes, and it took. It took part, like seven, 8 hours.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: So how do you.
What all goes into that? Like, you're adding.
You're adding color, you're adding flare. But how and with what?
[00:20:42] Speaker C: So we do use Angela's paint.
Angela's paint.
Oh, tape.
Of course. You gotta have a shoe.
Well, really, it's just really, it's just really just paint. Like, whatever. Just come online. Of course you like, I can't actually draw, so what I do is, like, I pull up a picture on my iPad, and I kind of just, like, trace it out. I'm on tape, and then I kind of go from there, just end up putting it on the shoe. We add the color with, like, the Angeles paint.
[00:21:18] Speaker B: I.
[00:21:18] Speaker C: And I airbrush most of the time.
I don't really like hand paint, but, like, for small, small pictures and stuff like that, you gotta use. Gotta hand paint. But most of my shoes are airbrushing.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: Okay, so you said most of its airbrushing. That's pretty neat.
[00:21:36] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: What is the most complicated order that you've had?
[00:21:43] Speaker C: I can't say I actually had a complicated order.
Oh, I did. I did have an order. It wasn't complicated. It was just like, it was rich. Um, so I have to do, like, I have to do, like, 14 pairs of shoes, like, three days.
[00:21:56] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:21:56] Speaker C: So I'm like, it wasn't complicated, but it was just like a time crunch.
But so that's kind of, like, one of. Probably one of those orders that, like, made me sweat, made me nervous, because, like, they needed them by Christmas.
[00:22:11] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:22:12] Speaker C: Because he ordered them for all his employees. So.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a lot of pressure right there.
[00:22:17] Speaker C: Yes, ma'am.
[00:22:20] Speaker A: This is something that more people want, right? They want something customized, something that speaks to, like, what their personality, or, like, a season, or in this case, like, an event.
Where do you. Where do you get inspiration? Or, like, what do you like about doing it?
[00:22:39] Speaker C: Um, you can go, like, most of the time, I go. I just go on Instagram. Like, I get on Instagram, I'm like, okay, I want it like this, but, like, I'm gonna put it like my own spin.
So sometimes you go on Instagram, or you go, like, on Pinterest or TikTok and stuff. Look, like. Look at different designs and stuff like that. But, like, most of the time, the shoes that I was doing for, like, Eric Muslim and stuff, or, like, some other people that wasn't around, so I just. Oh, no, I just. Once you start painting, you just gotta get a picture to kind of come to your head and just go with it. But, like, most of the time, sometimes it always change. So don't really come out how you expected it at first. It's always changing.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: I think it's interesting that you said you're not much of a drawer, but you can do this, you know, talented thing of making art out of the outside of someone's shoes. I think that's really cool. Yeah.
[00:23:37] Speaker C: I can't draw a straight line.
[00:23:41] Speaker A: So can you tell me about Coach Musselman's shoes in particular, how that turned out?
[00:23:47] Speaker C: I made a few different pairs made a few different pair for Eric Muslim, but, like, the first pair was actually, like, a pair, like, a pair of van. I didn't know he actually like, air forces, so I made him a pair of vans, and it kind of just went from there. That's kind of like how my name. That's kind of how I got known in that area was through Eric Muslim. Um, so I just made him, like, some, like, Arkansas Razorback, of course. Arkansas razorback shoes. And then we came back, made him a pair of shoes, um, for veterans day. I made him a pair of shoes for veterans day that he ended up wearing on tv, and then ended up making him, like, another pair of shoes. Like, I forgot exactly what was all on it, but, yeah, I had made them those veteran shoes, but we actually.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: Made a few pair of shoes just for various things.
[00:24:37] Speaker C: Yes, ma'am.
[00:24:38] Speaker A: Well, that's neat.
Do you keep a running count of how many customizations you do each, each year? Do you have any sense of how many you've done?
[00:24:50] Speaker C: Oh, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna say I keep. Keep track with it.
You can tell them I'm in the meeting real quick, but I'm not gonna say I keep track. I'm not gonna say I keep track with all that, but I mean, I do kind of, like, keep all my favorites and stuff like that.
[00:25:08] Speaker A: Yeah. What are a couple of your favorites that you've done?
[00:25:11] Speaker C: The pop tart shoes. Miss Foot.
Then she actually got another pair of shoes, got a Bronco, like a Bronco truck, and she wanted me to match her bronco.
I did those, uh, the cancer. The cancer shoes that I ended up making for myself, um, for the event, but I never still. To this day, I haven't worn shoes. It was like three years, three, four years ago.
So that was kind of my favorites. Um, I did a lot of shoes where I match people car.
I think I did, like, four or five pair of shoes that I matched people car. It's kind of some kind of. Some of my favorites because you kind of just bring out, like, bring out, like, you got to match colors and stuff like that. So it's kind of like, is it.
[00:26:00] Speaker A: Mainly the color or does some kind of style?
[00:26:05] Speaker C: Maybe one, like, the symbol and everything. It's like, for the bronco, I put the bronco on the side, and then I had to do, like, a hellcat car. I had to do the hellcat symbol. Um, the scat pack. I had to do the scat pack.
So it was pretty chill.
[00:26:20] Speaker A: I can see that. Really taking off.
[00:26:23] Speaker C: Yes, ma'am. It's fun. It's just like, a lot of time. It's a lot of time.
[00:26:28] Speaker A: Did. I can't remember if you said this earlier, but have you done any on the spot, like during. During the actual event or anything like that?
[00:26:37] Speaker C: But that's how the event go. They just give you a shoe whenever you make it. You just make the shoe there. That's how the last two events went. But like, everybody else that was at the event, I guess they were from, like, the Fairview area. I stay in little Rock, Arkansas, so I'm like 3 hours, like three, 4 hours away. So I got my shoe the day I made it. Everybody else had they shoe, like, two days prior for the. So I was the only one who actually, like, started and finished my shoe at the end.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: Oh, wow. So you arguably had the hardest job, I think.
[00:27:12] Speaker C: I guess you can say that it was pretty tough.
[00:27:15] Speaker A: Do you have to prep the shoe with, like, certain sprays and stuff?
[00:27:19] Speaker C: Yes, ma'am. So I use acetone and sandpaper to, like, prep the shoe, kind of just to make sure the paint actually sticks. And then, like, after that, it's like a. Like, a finisher. It's called, like, lk kicks. I put a finisher on top of it just so, like, the paint don't come off. They still gotta understand that it's an actual shoe. So you can't just go, like, mud riding or something like.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: Yeah, you gotta be smart, I guess, about not getting into something too messy?
[00:27:49] Speaker C: Yes, ma'am.
[00:27:51] Speaker A: Well, I'm trying to think of anything else.
Is there anything else you want me to know about, about your process or.
[00:28:05] Speaker C: I know for, like, a lot of people. Like, probably. Like, how. How did you get it? Like, how did I get in that position? Honestly, just, like, reaching out to. Reaching out to a bunch of people. It's kind of how you just get your name out there. Just reaching out to, like, a bunch of people just trying to get in certain rooms with different people. Just to get. Just to get known kind of situation.
[00:28:29] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Well, tell me again your Instagram handle so people can find it.
[00:28:37] Speaker C: So my Instagram handle. I had lost my main Instagram, so I gotta go find, like, my. I think it's, like, goofy underscore. I mean, underscore I got a chicken. You.
So it's just goofy dual customs.
[00:28:51] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:28:51] Speaker C: G o f y d u d e.
Custom. C u s. T o m s.
