Snkrs Day: How did you decide to pursue customizing as a living? What made you move to Houston?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnt Kai: “In 2020 I was trying to balance 2 full time jobs at once. During the week I\u2019d work 8-5pm with my day job and paint shoes after from like 7pm-2am. When the pandemic hit, Seattle went on lockdown so I started painting the whole weekend too. I still felt like I wasn\u2019t doing enough and knew I had to make more sacrifices if I wanted to level up as an artist. I always looked up to Kobe and admired how devoted he was to his craft and wanted to apply that to my own. So I quit my job, left everything, moved across the country, and dedicated all my time and energy into pursuing art.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did you get introduced to art and design? Is anyone in your family an artist? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I grew up loving to draw. I was introduced as a kid through watching anime. Me and my brother used to draw Dragonball Z characters and weird shit like animals wearing streetwear clothing [laughs]. Aside from that, my grandma Josie was an artist.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What sparked your interest in sneakers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I\u2019ve been into shoes for most of my life. I got into it through being a fan of the NBA\/hip hop culture, and influence from my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a kid, I was one of the younger cousins out of a big Filipino family that all collected sneakers, even my dad. I was 11 when I got a pair of Nike Prestos for my birthday, and I think that\u2019s when I first started to really care about shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In high school I used to save up all my lunch money to buy sneakers. I cared more about being fresh than being hungry [laughs]. My first job was at Champs Sports, I was selling shoes and using my paychecks to cop more. Anything I couldn\u2019t buy from work I\u2019d get from Niketalk or ISS forums. I used to be into buying rare NBA PEs. I had a pair of Gary Payton Jordan XIXs that he wore for the Celtics and I still have these Ray Allen white\/purple Jordan XVs that he wore for the Bucks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen did you first start designing sneakers? What made you interested in designing and customizing sneakers? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“My first custom came in 2017, but I didn\u2019t start taking it seriously until 2020. Back then, I started painting just to make some art for my apartment. I did a few Kanye album inspired canvas paintings then eventually thought it\u2019d be cool to try painting some shoes. It made sense since I always collected them. I wanted to gift my niece something dope, so I painted her a pair of Bape camo Vans. I fell in love with the process and the rest is history.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you self-taught or did someone teach you how to design? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“Self taught. Everything I\u2019ve learned was through trial, error, and looking up answers online for what I couldn\u2019t figure out myself. The internet\u2019s full of free knowledge out there on YouTube, Reddit, or even IG. Anyone can learn if they just put in the effort.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does it feel to have your work so well-received? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“It\u2019s a blessing to do what you love and have your work appreciated. It\u2019s definitely the icing on the cake, even without the recognition I\u2019d still love doing this, so everything else that comes with it is a bonus.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does it feel that factories are producing counterfeit replicas of your designs?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“It\u2019s crazy. I\u2019ve seen two different fakes being sold of my Off-White Lot 767 Dunks, and both are pretty bad. The clouds look wild on them. I ended up finding out about the them after people who\u2019ve bought the replicas tagged me in their posts. It\u2019s funny to me, I\u2019m not mad about it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou recently made a custom LV Dunk for Dermot Kennedy. How did you get connected with him? Did you guys work collaboratively on the design?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“Dermot\u2019s a talented and humble guy. After I did my custom Sacai Boro\u2019s, Hypebeast did an article on them, which I think brought a lot more attention to my work. More celebrities started DM\u2019ing me, but he was one of the first to reach out. I pitched him the LV Boro Dunk idea and he loved it. He gave me full creative freedom with the project.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does your craftsmanship add to the sneaker community?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I\u2019d hope my craftsmanship adds creative, fresh ideas to the sneaker community and pushes others to do the same. I want my designs to give people a good feeling like shoes have done for me throughout my life. Eventually I\u2019d like to teach and help artists who want to get into it as well.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does the Seattle sneaker scene compare to the sneaker scene in Houston? How is the culture different? Has that influenced you any way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I\u2019d say they\u2019re pretty similar, both feel tight knit, but they do get some better opportunities for sneaker releases in Houston. Since Travis Scott\u2019s from Houston, last year they had a week long schedule for Astroworld with sneaker related events\/drops. I still haven\u2019t hit on a raffle here though, so I have been missing Likelihood, my favorite boutique\/sneaker store in Seattle.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How has your work developed over time? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I\u2019ve definitely put in the 10,000 hours that\u2019s said is needed to master your craft, but even with that I\u2019m still learning and getting better. I\u2019ve always been a perfectionist, so I\u2019m still taking way too long on projects, but I have gotten more skilled at painting, sewing, and the overall process. I used to have to tape up certain parts of the shoe before painting but now I\u2019m comfortable to do it without. I think lately my work has formed into a more distinctive style as well.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow would you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I\u2019d describe my style as making art pieces on sneakers. Whether it\u2019s painting clouds or hand stitching boro on shoes, I want you to look at the final product as artwork that you can wear. I\u2019ve always been into Japanese art\/aesthetic, so you\u2019ll see that a lot in my recent releases and upcoming projects.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What inspires your creative process? Is your creative process structured or do you find yourself more of a free-form artist? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“A little bit of both. Sometimes I\u2019ll know right away what I\u2019ll want to do with a shoe and other times I\u2019ll have to make mock-ups. I make changes throughout and new ideas come to me in the middle of projects all the time. I try to create new ideas and add aspects to the design that no one else is doing. So many of my projects I won\u2019t feel confident in until the very last moment when I lace them up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My creative process gets inspired by many different things. Whenever I see something dope, I think of ways to incorporate it on to a sneaker. I like connecting my projects to memories, or anything meaningful, so it makes you feel something. I think the best shoes, whether custom or not, will give you that good feeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You also just got to live, make memories, do fun shit, and draw inspiration from that. When I was feeling stuck last year, me and my cousin Cristian went to two of Kanye\u2019s Donda listening parties in Chicago and Atlanta. We\u2019d call them life changing\/inspiration trips to justify buying the flights last minute lol. I made some of my best work after I came back home inspired from them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat products do you recommend for people to get started?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n“Shoes to test on, paint brush set, acetone for prep work, and leather paint. You don\u2019t need to get fancy tools, all my paint brushes are the cheapest sets from Amazon.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What brand makes the best silhouettes? Do you have any loyalty to a certain brand? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“As far as new silhouettes, Kanye\u2019s the GOAT to me. I love how innovate his designs are while still being aesthetically pleasing, but I\u2019ll also be a lifelong Nike head for their nostalgic factor.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you made? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“My favorite pair I\u2019ve made is between my Off-White Lot 767 Dunks or my LV Boro Dunks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lot 767 pair was my first submission for #offwhitedunkedit which Virgil started after he released the 50 colorways of Off-White Dunks. I remember people being so mad about all the colorways being so similar, but he did that with the intent for people to customize them. I might\u2019ve been the first to dye the entire shoe from that collection, but I could be wrong. I saw others before me dye the canvas panels only, but not a full dye. I painted clouds inspired by Virgil\u2019s previous design that he did for Drake\u2019s Boeing 767 plane, hence the nickname, and the Louis Vuitton collection\/runway show that he did which also featured cloud designs. He ended up posting them on his story and Off-White\u2019s IG and it brought a lot of visibility to my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The LV Boro Dunks are my other favorite pair because I just love the overall aesthetic. Even though it took the most hours I\u2019ve spent on one pair, I still enjoyed the process. I kept making changes with the design, and started to doubt them midway, but when I finally put it all together, I knew they were the one. That feeling of envisioning something dope and making it come to life is incomparable. “<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“Either my 1985 Chicago Jordan 1s or my Air Yeezy Net Tan 1s. I bought both 10+ years ago before their prices went crazy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the greatest challenge for you as an artist? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“My greatest challenge would be finding the right work\/life balance. I can get so consumed with my work to the point where I won\u2019t leave or do anything else for weeks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What moment are you most proud of in your customs career? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I have a couple. One of my them is when Virgil commented on\/reposted my second Off-White custom, the Chain Dunks. He was definitely a big influence to me so for him to do that felt surreal. At the time, I was a half a year into my move to Houston, and was still questioning myself as an artist and what I could accomplish. Even as big as he was, he didn\u2019t hold back on showing love to other creators big or small. He was special, I try to pay homage to him through my work as much as possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My other proudest moment was early on, when I made the Lakers Union AJ1s and was able to sell them for a pretty expensive price tag. It wasn\u2019t about the money, but it was the moment I knew I could do this full time. That feeling was everything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat advice would you give to aspiring creatives that are trying to get started?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“My advice to aspiring creatives would be to just make what you think is dope, be consistent, and trust the process. There\u2019ll be many failures, but don\u2019t let it stop you. If you\u2019re doing what you love, you\u2019re already winning. Focus on the creative process, put in the work, and let everything else come naturally.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are you hoping to achieve with your work? Where do you see Ant Kai in 5 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n“I hope my work inspires other creatives to pursue their passion too. 5 years ago I dreamed of doing what I\u2019m doing now, I didn\u2019t think it was possible, but I made it happen. 5 years from now, I see myself still making art, doing bigger projects, and giving back game to the younger generation. I just want to be the best version of myself as an artist and keep this dream alive.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be sure to follow @Ant.Kai<\/a> on Instagram to stay up to date with all his latest customs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor more sneaker news<\/a> and release dates<\/a>, follow @NiceKicks<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n—<\/strong><\/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\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\nAll photos courtesy of @Ant.Kai<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In recent years, custom sneakers have grown from simple one-of-a-kind colorways to bespoke artistic expressions that infuse more than just…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328355,"featured_media":1154185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1207912,1258509,618],"tags":[1258519,1225512,1207929],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Creator Connection: Ant Kai | 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