The reason's folks get into customizing sneakers are pretty broad and varied. Some do it is as a hobby or an artistic expression and others do it for the entrepreneurial aspect—both of which are great. And for some people, like Kip Thompson, custom sneakers can become an educational art experience.
When he's not customizing sneakers or out on his Suzuki GSZX, Kip teaches 8th grade English Arts Teacher at Le Conte Middle School in Hollywood, CA. Kip wanted to offer his students an opportunity to learn how to customize and or restore their shoes during an Elective Period.
"My school serves students that come from low income homes," Kip says. "Many of their parents do not have the money to frequently buy them shoes." Keeping this in mind, Kip took it upon himself as an educator and custom sneaker enthusiast to teach custom sneaker workshop for his students.
And the results were nothing short of incredible. "My students loved this experience," he says, "because they were able to take an old pair and make them beautiful." Some of them were able to take a new pair and express their individuality, which is what customization is all about!
"My goal was to simply put the paint brush in the child's hand and see what happens," Kip says. And over at Angelus, we couldn't happier that an educator is using our paint to make a difference. Check out more of what he's up to @ThompsonB1, and give him a follow. Keep it up Kip!
