It started just as a favor to her friend, who asked if she could paint on her new Air Force 1s. Senior Emily Chladny had only ever painted on canvases before, never thinking of putting the paintbrush to shoes. 

Now, she’s customizing for customers, adding designs, patterns, and colors that make each pair of shoes look one-of-a-kind and brand new.

“It scared me but also made me super excited to make something someone else would get to wear,” she said. 

When she got down to painting her friend’s shoes, as well as many others, Chladny has learned that the most important task of customizing a shoe is creating something that is coherent. 

“Now having customers I am having to take in their ideas and factor them into what I believe would make the best coherent shoe design,” Chladny said. “Which at times can be challenging, but it has also made me become more creative as I progress.” 

For Chladny, wearability has caused her to look for designs that not only showcase her want to paint more realistic things, but also incorporate timeless patterns that add simplicity to the shoes. 

“I think it is this that has caused my sectioned style of shoe to turn out to a product that the customers love,” she said. 

And that’s what she enjoyed most about customizing shoes, that is, seeing her customers satisfied, getting the shoes back and having them on their feet only days later. 

“It’s great to see their initial reaction,” Chladny said. “But them going out in public with something I painted is so unique.” 

Her only obstacle—too many orders. 

“I am having to set aside more and more time for shoes due to having so many people who want them, which is barely a complaint at all,” Chladny said. “With school starting back up, I am actually more able to focus on the shoes between gaps in class periods and during breaks from homework.”