Dior x Air Jordan 1 Low Golf<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>I had the opportunity to do a pair for LPGA player Mina Harigae. When I did the shoes for her, it was for the U.S. Women\u2019s Open and she just started killing it. She was first place the first two days. It was awesome to have that timing of everything coming together and it was awesome to do the pair of shoes for her. She was on TV, national TV, just killing it. It was really awesome to be a small part of that whole weekend. She ended up coming in second, it was great. Things are already in the works to do more for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNK: You\u2019ve made a handful of sneakers for celebrities and athletes. What was your first celebrity connection and how did that come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>Rittz, the rapper. His DJ reached out to me and I did a pair for both of them, and they wore them on tour. That was my first celebrity, but as of late I did a pair for Shane Victorino and a pair for Michael Strahan. That was really cool. It was a combination with a coworker and his assistant that reached out to me to do a pair for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: So essentially you\u2019ve been able to grow organically on Instagram?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>Yeah, I’m pretty proud about that. It\u2019s natural and organic. I’m trying to do better on Instagram and social media, but being that I work full time, this is sort of my side hustle, it\u2019s hard to manage at, but I’m trying to do better. Hypebeast<\/em> posted my work and that was like the main thing that blew up for me, where I had a lot of celebrity-caliber people looking and hitting me up for shoes. Then it snowballed into more stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: From start to finish, how long does it take to complete one of your golf sneakers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>The golf sneakers that do have a 4-6 week turnaround. As far as actual hours spent on that, it varies. It\u2019s hard to say. I haven’t clocked individually how long they take, but I know I’m hitting all my windows I tell my clients and that’s all that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: Are there any other silhouettes that you would like to see be turned into golf sneakers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>Yeah, they did a Jordan 12 Low for golf and I’m glad they introduced the model, but I want to see more colorways and more stories behind them, so I’m anxious for that. Then anything G\/Fore, they have some fire as of late. They had a collab with TaylorMade that I really liked. <\/p>\n\n\n\nJordan-wise though, all the shoes that I’m into with Jordan Brand have already been brought to life for the golf round. There are certain tweaks here and there I’d like to see happen. I love the Jordan 1 Low, I wish they had spikes on it just because as a golfer, you want the most traction as possible. But overall, I’m pretty happy with what’s been out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NK: How do the Jordans perform compared to other golf shoes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>They’ve been great from the pairs that I’ve had. I’ve worn the Jordan 1 and the Jordan 3 on the course. They’ve been great through wet conditions and all the woods, sticks, and stems that you walk through. They’ve been sturdy and holding up really well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNK: What was the sneaker that got you into sneakers and sparked your interest in them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>For sneakers in general, it would be the Jordan 12. I have a picture from when me and my brother were 5 years old, and for Christmas my parents hooked me up with the \u2018Cherry\u2019 colorway, and my brother got the \u2018Playoffs.\u2019 We were swapping them, trying to take jumping photos and stuff like that. That’s what started it off for me. It was the Jordan 12 \u201896. I was 5 years old, but I was into Michael Jordan. Luckily I got to catch the tail end of his Bulls career, so that was cool. It cemented that special feeling for the 12 in my heart forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: How has your work developed over time? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>I’d say my portrait skills have grown a lot through just doing them in practice and stuff like that. My efficiency in doing things \u2013 whether it be prep work or taping, or knowing how to juggle multiple projects at once \u2013 that’s gotten a lot better for me. I\u2019m faster at thinking of ideas and getting them out there. I know what projects to take and what not to take now. Sometimes I get asked to do things that aren’t feasible or don’t make sense. It’s my job to educate my clients and let them know what [works.] I’m just excited to put more time and effort into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDoing my normal full-time job as a graphic designer, working 9 hours a day, and then having to switch my brain to shoes \u2013 it’s been fine, but I’m to the point where all I want to do is shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NK: What\u2019s your favorite pair of shoes that you\u2019ve made?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>The Home Alone Air Force 1 that I made last holiday season is my favorite. I feel like it was the perfect mesh of hype, that we all know sells, and then my own concept, and developing a new meaning to the shoe. They were inspired by the Freddie Krueger Nike Dunks. <\/p>\n\n\n\nI made like 50 Photoshop iterations just messing around and stuff. Then one colorblock just hit me where I was like, “What if I could develop a new meaning instead of doing another Freddy Krueger shoe?” So I dug deeper with that and it was really well received. I’m actually thinking about bringing them back and doing it on a pair of SB Dunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNK: How does it feel to have your work so well-received?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>It’s really nice actually. I’m not saying that I need validation, but it gives me that validation that I can do this and people want this, and I should do this. I’ve been blessed enough to have people write about me, and share this or comment that, and it’s been really nice to see. I’ve even seen a couple of Jordan execs like my stuff. It\u2019s just small stuff like that. It\u2019s reassuring that I’m on the right path and just to keep going. Go harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: What\u2019s in your daily rotation right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>My daily rotation right now is a pair of Dunk Lows, the classic “Panda,” that has become a meme. I wear a lot of Vans and then just a classic pair of Forces. That\u2019s my rotation right now, but my favorite pair that I own is probably my Jordan 12 “Wings.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nNK: What advice would you give to aspiring creatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>Don’t be nervous to share your work. Just get it out there and develop tough skin. Take all the hate and the love together for what it is. Just stay positive and keep your head down. If you’re passionate about it, just keep going and get yourself out there. That\u2019s the only way anyone is going to see it. Believe in yourself and learn as much as you can, and make as many connections as you can in the industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFor me, developing my own relationships in the industry has been pretty difficult. There’s only so much you can do through social media, with messaging and stuff, so I’m all about organic relationships, and face-to-face situations where I can actually develop a connection with a person. Also, perfect your craft. Don’t be lazy, don’t cut corners, do your research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NK: What do you hope to achieve with your work and what do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTL: <\/strong>Well, I’m hoping to just have my sneakers and any related business on that end, be my own business. I want to have my own shop and I want to be putting out my own releases, like The Home Alone, like my own design, and just stick to following the calendar for the season and whatever the day is and having something generated for that theme that day and just keep making releases and keep developing connections. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd as a side note, it’s kind of always been a dream of mine to work at Jordan Brand and be on the color design team there and Kelsey Amy there, she’s like a huge inspiration to me. And all her work she does there for all the athletes and all the storytelling she does, and for her to be a customizer back in the day and then sort of transport that into working for Jordan Brand, it’s cool to see something that led that path and all that. Oh, that is a thing to do. That would be cool. Whether it’s having my own thing full time or somehow I get an adorned brand, one of those two things would be ideal for me in the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFollow @TylerLiber<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Tyler Liber, determination is the only way through. With nearly 10 years of experience under his belt, he’s put…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328355,"featured_media":1073588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1207912,1258509],"tags":[1258519,1225512,1207929],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Creator Connection: Tyler Liber | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n