Chumpsumthin here — my company consists of me, my wife, and my brother @lastlonegunman. We started at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown — my wife asked me to make a pair of baby shark shoes for my daughter’s birthday.
I finished them and put them online and they got tons of attention right away, it’s been snowballing ever since.
Walk me through your design process and how you find inspiration when making custom sneakers.
My inspiration comes from the shoes themselves. I look at the shoe and it tells me what it wants to look like, if that makes sense. As tacky as that sounds. People have an idea what subject matter they want so they tell me and I just run with it.
Which sneaker customizers do you follow?
Almost all of them! But I really like @cestlavic and @johnnythedybbuk — they put out quality work.
How would you describe what makes Chumpsumthin’ sneakers special to a desired customer/fan?
I hate to say it cause I don’t wanna sound too cocky, but my line work. My shoes are clean. I pride myself on that. It’s taken a long time to get that steady of a hand.
What are trends in the custom shoe/sneaker space that you’re most excited about?
Plasti Dip — I wish I could do more, but It’s expensive.
For now I’ll just admire Donny’s stuff.
What advice would you give a new custom sneaker artist?
DON’T USE TOOTHPICKS FOR LINE WORK! I can’t stand it. I love what Dejesus Customs does, but I cannot stand the toothpick advice. Invest in some cheap detail brushes and practice. It’s much easier and cleaner.
I can instantly tell when someone uses a toothpick and it drives me bonkers. I’m sure there are plenty of people that can do it “clean” out there, but if you are starting off, just get some cheap detail brushes (for model painting) and do it right.
How can I learn more about Chumpsumthin customs?
- Hit me up on IG: @chumpsumthin
- Like Chump’s Customs on Facebook
DM is fine. I’m pretty good about answering them as of right now. That might change in the future.
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