SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs players like DeMarre Carroll have access to basically unlimited Spurs swag. But a special pair of custom Yeezys featuring the San Antonio’s team logos still stood out as a must-have accessory.
- Started painting shoes for his kids
- Posted photos on Instagram
- Custom paintings at $80
“I’m a big Spurs fan, I’ve always been,” explains local artist Dimas Anthony Martinez. Just for fun, he started painting Spurs-themed sneakers for his kids and posting the photos on Instagram.
Eventually, his designs caught the eye of Spurs guard Bryn Forbes and the two teamed up at a local basketball camp. On the day Forbes was scheduled to appear as a special guest, Martinez gave away the custom Yeezys to one lucky kid.
“They actually had a shooting competition, so everyone in the camp had the chance to win,” Martinez said.
Simultaneously, Carroll spotted tweets featuring Martinez’s work. He doesn’t have a Twitter account, but a friend tweeted out a screenshot of his Instagram account.
“I started sharing them, and little by little people were like, ‘Hey, can you customize these? Can you customize this?’ And it just went from there,” Martinez said.
But getting in touch with the players is proving to be more difficult than just responding to a social media post.
"[Carroll] asked for my contact info, but we're still working on it because it's pretty hard to get in touch with an NBA player, or just a celebrity in general,” Martinez said.
Martinez just began experimenting and researching the best ways to paint leather and mesh when he bought a leather-painting kit in the spring of last year.
But designing and customizing clothing is nothing new.
“I like fashion, I like dressing up,” Martinez said, “I’ve always been this way.”
He uses traditional canvases for some paintings, but also adds his own style to vintage jean jackets and creates new accessories from recycled Louis Vuitton bags.
Ultimately, he wants to own a boutique filled with his own designs and customized items.
He takes custom orders and charges $80 per pair of shoes. Customers also provide the shoes.
Follow Martinez on Instagram at @dimasanthonymartinez or email him at dimasanthonymartinez@yahoo.com.