NYC TRIP RECAP POST #6 - There are certain moments in life that I look back and reflect on with sheer disbelief. Things I’ve done, places I’ve been, wonders I’ve seen—memories that are so incredible they seem almost unbelievable, as if they’re a Hollywood production rather than my own actual past. And as I sit here now, thinking back on my Nike Bespoke experience six weeks ago, I still can’t believe I actually did it.

Of course by “it” I mean created an $820 Nike Bespoke Air Force 1, a one-of-a-kind opportunity to custom order a one-of-a-kind sneaker, available exclusively and by appointment only at Nike Sportswear 21 Mercer in SoHo, NYC. Akin to having a bespoke suit tailored on Savile Row, creating a Bespoke Air Force 1 entails choosing from hundreds of the finest quality materials and specifying each detail of how the shoe is constructed in a two-hour session with a Nike design consultant. The lone shoe profile available for bespoke design is the Air Force 1, arguably the most iconic sneaker in the vast Nike product catalog, whose pedigree spans nearly 30 years and well over 1,700 different released colorways—certainly a fitting model for Bespoke treatment.

Unlike the customizable sneakers in the Nike iD program, the Bespoke Air Force 1 doesn’t limit you to a mere handful of material options, nor does it limit you in how and where those materials are used. Instead, you are presented with quite literally hundreds of options from dozens upon dozens of materials choices that, barring physical sewing limitations, you are free to implement however you choose. In fact, the sheer amount of available options—leathers, suedes, plastics, patterns, colors, perforations, threads, soles, paint, and more—is practically overwhelming. If it wasn’t for the expert advice of the Nike design consultants, I’m not sure most people would be able to make heads or tails of all the options, never-mind actually designing a good looking shoe.

In my case, I had good fortune to be assisted by Israel “Izzy” Mateo, the consultant responsible for bringing to life the bulk of Bespoke sneakers. In addition, I also had a couple aces up my sleeve: sitting in with me during my design session was my man MAYOR, designer of over 35 Bespoke AF1s, and DJ CLARK KENT, who in addition to designing over 40 Bespoke AF1s himself is also a well-known sneaker designer for Nike. I also had the valuable assistance of my wife, Claudia, who truly understood what I was trying to accomplish with my Bespoke design.

The five of us worked in the design studio at 21 Mercer for seven hours creating Bespoke AF1s. MAYOR went first, allowing me to witness a Bespoke session so I wouldn’t have to jump in blind to the experience, and designed an entire Bespoke—and then trashed it entirely at the very end, starting over from scratch at the last second to make a completely different sneaker.

After eating lunch—MAYOR had food ordered in for everyone—I sat down with Izzy to create my Bespoke. Being a graphic designer myself, I went in with printouts of some designs I’d mocked up at home in Photoshop. They were loose designs at best because wasn’t familiar with what the material options would actually look like in person, but I did have an idea of what I wanted to do. After talking over my options with everyone and deciding exactly what materials I wanted to use, Izzy got to work on the computer, using Photoshop to create a formal mockup of the design.

Throughout the mockup process, CLARK and MAYOR offered up suggestions on how to alter certain aspects of the design to improve it. Izzy tweaked the design several times, offering up suggestions and opinions as well, until I was happy with the finished product.

After I was done, MAYOR created another Bespoke using materials CLARK choose, which turned out to be an absolute collaborative masterpiece. It’s probably not my favorite Bespoke of his—that would be either the Strawberry Quik or the Camo—but in my opinion it’s one of his top five Bespoke designs.

The seven hour Bespoke session with Izzy, MAYOR, CLARK, and Claudia was a whirlwind experience that I will never forget, and was unquestionably the highlight of this NYC trip. I just received the shoe this week—the manufacturing takes four or five weeks—and I could not be happier with it. Honestly, even though I knew going in what I mostly wanted to do, and even though I walked out of the session with a mockup rendering and materials samples, I was still completely stunned by the final product.

For materials, I chose to use a thick, luxurious baseball glove leather for the tip, toebox, eyestay, and secondary swoosh; dark grey waterproof wool for the mid-panel, foxing, and back strip; black rubberized leather for the swoosh and back tab; and butter-soft black leather for the tongue and entire interior, including the insole, all of which was micro-perfed for an added texture.

I choose to use Chutney colored waxed laces with gold hardware and matching Chutney thread for the majority of the stitching, opting to use black thread on the swoosh and back strip to minimize contrast in those locations. I also choose not to include the NIKE AIR logo on either the tongue or the back tab, leaving them blank and allowing the materials to speak for themselves. The lace dubrays were done in gold as well, with my online name printed on each.

For the bottom, I decided against using the clear midsole for fear the dark wool material might bleed color into it; that is a problem on some heavily dyed materials. Also, since it is such an expensive shoe, I felt that if I used a clear outsole, I would be disappointed if it ever yellowed, a common problem with clear soles. In the end, I went with an off-white Sail colored midsole and black outsole.

The craftsmanship of the sneaker is impeccable, the materials top shelf, the attention to details unmatched by any retail sneaker—but even so, it is impossible to justify the $820 price by the shoe alone. That’s almost ten times the price of an Air Force 1 general release sneaker. No, the price is only justifiable by the experience, and by that measure, it was a bargain; the Bespoke experience is priceless.

- dsicle

P.S. - Without a doubt, this shoe would not have turned out as well as it did without the assistance of MAYOR, DJ CLARK KENT, Izzy, and Claudia, so to each of you I say THANK YOU for helping design my new favorite sneakers and for making the memories of my Bespoke experience an unbelievable experience.

P.P.S. - CLARK, I told you way back in March that you inspired me to stop hypebeasting on releases and start designing my own sneakers, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Four-of-the-last-five pair I’ve bought have been iDs/Bespoke sneakers.

P.P.P.S. - MAYOR, extra-special thanks for spending the day with me even though you were in massive pain, about to die, and on the way to the doctor.

P.P.P.P.S - To my readers, click the TWEET button @ me and let me know what you think of my Bespoke creation!

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