Milwaukeean Rick Murphy's motto is: Why try to fit when you're a standout?
It's good advice for anyone looking to make a colorful splash in this world, which is exactly what he's trying to do.
Under the clever business name Illwalkees, he creates custom-designed sneakers that he hand paints according to his customers' desires. Basically, it's his job to make your feet look fresh.
Murphy can work with any leather shoe -- yes, ladies, he can paint your pumps if you want -- but synthetic materials won't hold the color, he says. His paint is weather resistant and will hold up to any amount of normal wear and tear.
"It's an art piece on your shoe, so you have to take care of it," he says. "But normal use won't destroy it."
So while you might not want to toss them in the washing machine, a gentle scrub will keep the attention at your feet.
He charges a flat rate of $100 for work and can get them done in about five hours. Other popular custom shoe companies like Pimp My Kicks, Punk My Chucks and Sole Brother charge anywhere from $120 to $700 for custom work.
He says his business's popularity is, in large part, thanks to celebrities who have custom-designed footwear -- if not an entire fashion line of their own.
"With hip-hop nowadays, it's all about fashion," he says. "Everyone has a perfume, clothing or shoe line, which has made sneaker culture more mainstream."
Punk My Chucks has done shoes for Miley Cyrus, Will Smith and Kelly Clarkson. Sole Brother takes it further by paying tribute to things like Earth Day or Canada Day (for real!).
Murphy will paint customer-submitted designs, freelance with his own ideas, or simply embellish on old-school color blocking. Either way, he's sure his shoes are like "nothing you'll ever find in the mall."
He also gives each pair its own custom name -- a cute collections of character sketches is called "Imaginary Friends;" a goofy likeness of Cookie Monster from "Sesame Street" is simply called "Cookies."
As an artist, Murphy also paints skateboard decks and does mural work. His goal, he says, is to create enough local buzz for his work to open a sneaker boutique.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
