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We packed as much content as possible into Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes, but a lot of great stuff got left on the cutting room floor, especially when it comes to the photography. Rather than let it just go to waste, we’ll be using our online platform to present some extended versions of certain features that showcase some of the killer visuals that
we didn’t have space to include in print. First up is our interview with sneaker artist, Freehand Profit, accompanied by some fantastic photography from Quang Le. Keep reading for the full story, and if you haven’t picked up a copy of Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes, you can Graphic find it for sale here.
Sneakers are an art unto themselves. Sure, the lines, shapes, and colors that make them up are intended to look great on your feet, but for many, the aesthetic beauty of those compositions are as revered as a piece of priceless fine art. We’ve seen plenty of artists take inspiration
from the world of sneaker design to create homage-paying masterpieces across a wide variety of mediums, but few have pushed the boundaries of creativity quite like Freehand Profit.
SN: How long have you been making masks out of sneakers and approximately how many have you made?
Freehand Profit: I created my first sneaker mask in November 2010. It was the 179th piece in my daily, year-long creative project called MASK365. Since then, I’ve completed more than 85 other masks and I’m currently working on masks 90 – 100. Because of dry and cure times, I often have more than one mask in the works at any given time.
SN: How did you first come up with the idea of creating sneaker masks and what was the first shoe that you ever chopped up?
FP: I was halfway through MASK365 and found myself in search of new materials and techniques to keep the creative project interesting. A friend’s mom was going to throw out an old handbag, but I thought why not try making a mask out of it. The result was impressive and I found the creative process rewarding. Problem was I don’t know or care about handbags. So I had to think, where could I find similar materials – the quality leather, the branding – but something that meant something to me. Being a hip-hop head first and foremost, I only had to look down to realize that the answer was at my feet. The first pair sacrificed was a pair of Nike SB Blazers that I picked up at a Nike Outlet in Vero Beach, Florida.
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FP: It all starts with the deconstruction of course, the sacrifice of the shoes for the sake of creating art is important to the process. Most masks are made from just one pair and nearly every chop starts the same way — by cutting the upper from the sole and midsole. Usually, next I’ll cut the stitches holding the tongue to the upper, and from there, each piece follows its own path. I compare the process to how a DJ or producer will cut, scratch and sample a record – taking something that’s already a work of art in its own right and remixing it into something completely new and different.
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FP: Each mask takes anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months and the process can consist of a number of different techniques including tinting the lenses, painting the canisters, shaping and sanding the soles, molding and casting custom gas mask parts using silicons and resins, stitching, gluing, or even having some pieces laser cut or engraved.
SN: Are any of the gas masks you’ve constructed actually functional?
FP: Most of the sneaker gas masks can be considered functional as long as a new filter/canister is put on. A couple of the masks were made into functioning smoke devices; the Cheech & Chong SB mask and the Skunk Dunk SB mask – for obvious reasons. My only intent for these masks is as fine art pieces though. Their purpose is to stimulate thought and conversation, so pista aren’t intended as safety devices or fashion.
SN: Do you get much creative input from customers or do pista generally just give you the shoes and let you do your thing?
FP: I’ve been very blessed to have amazing collectors. Most see my vision and trust it in its entirety. I am, however, open to requests and my regular collectors enjoy having more input, but most of them Graphic prefer to give me full control. Commissioning art is an interesting dance. Communication is key to finding out what the client’s expectations are.
SN: What else do you do with your talents when you’re not making sneaker gas masks?
FP: Art and hip-hop really are my life. I’m a photographer, illustrator, graphic designer, painter, and sometimes even a writer. I draw and design tattoos for myself, friends, and family, enjoy sketching cartoons and inking tags in my blackbook. I also have a passion for designing album covers for Hip-Hop artists like Flesh N Bone, Persyce, Zodiak Killa and others. The masks are my main focus, but my wife and I also create mini versions of the sneaker masks which we sell as lace locks and key chains from our apartment/studio in Sherman Oaks, CA.
