MIchelle X Goliath X Custom Painted Kicks

I got a a chance to chill out with MIchelle from Goliath and chat about the store, art and sneakers (...custom that is). She definitely on her NY grind for a DC girl.


What is your position at Goliath and what are some of your responsibilities
there?
I'm pretty much the technical person. I mess with computers all day.
I run the website, the blog, the myspace. Etc. Plus I design all
the hot fire Goliath is comin' out with!

How did you get your job at the Goliath?
I met up with a friend over there. He was beggin' the owner for a job.
I was just cooler than him. And when I was asked to come in with a resume,
I came back with a stack of paper; resume, portfolio, line sheet, etc.
I even brought a pair of customs that won me a couple of titles at the
last Female Sneaker Fiend competion.

How does working there differ from your last job (atmosphere and industry)?
The atmosphere is alot nicer, even though its more hectic. My last job, I designed
for a screen printing company, but it was a horrible job. All the money and
kicks in the world could get me goin' back there. My work now is alot easier
and I understand what I'm doing here more. Since it's all about what's in, I couldn'
ask for anything better.

Do you feel that being in Harlem benefits the store versus being in the
downtown hipster scene?
Oh yeah. First off, downtown is TOO saturated. Every store is about 2 blocks away
and they all share the same things and keep real tight with eachother. You just
stand out more and do bigger and better things when you differentiate yourself
from all that. You get noticed more, and you bring more to the community
instead of shunning it like the others. In a time when its all about being different,
thats what Goliath is all about.

How big is your sneaker collection?
I don't like to count. Mostly because it urks me to see how much I have and think, "hey I probably need more." But as of right now, I'm doin' ok. About 150? I need a freaking shoe rack!

I understand that you are and avid artist, where did you go to school and
what was your major?
Oh yes, I am a big comic book geek. I went to the HS of Art & Design and I majored [and excelled]
in Cartooning & Animation. I was one of the only girls drawin' Joker rippin' guts out of people
where as all the other chicks were either in fashion, or photography. I ran with the big boys.

What is your favorite style and medium to use?
I'm very sketchy. I've tried to advance and minimize the messy look, but I can't help it.
I'm an avid pencil person.[mechanicals all the way] but now I'm starting to skip all that, and go
straight to Pentab on Photoshop.

Tell us about Marvel and your exploits there?
There wasn't much to exploit there. I was some kid in HighSchool who didn't know what
I was doing. I didn't meet anybody and didn't do a thing. It was short lived because it wasn't
meant for me. Besides, I'm a DC girl anyway. =]

How long have you been doing one-off kicks?
About 6 years now. I only messed up probably one pair of kicks in my time. I took fine arts one year, so I'm pretty good with the brush. I do it for me, and I'm very selective
of who I do work for. Mostly because I'm sick of hearing someone ask for Tweety Bird with a durag
on and baggy pants, to be painted on the side of a shoe.



How is working at Goliath helped you with painting on kicks?
It's probably given more experience with all the pairs I wind up doing for my friends, staff, and
selected customers. But I've gotten more fame from it.
One time I had a pair sitting on display, and Reps from Nike came thru and one stopped and asked
if the pair on display was a Over Seas edition, because he liked them and had never seen 'em before.
That's a pretty good feelin' knowin' that my work could be in a store and even a rep couldn't tell the difference.

What celebs have you done kicks for?
Other than a local celeb by the name of June, I shy away from doin' celeb's kicks. From what I've seen, alot of these celebs who get customs done happen to have some of the crappiest jobs done on their air forces. I mean, just about every rapper has had that horrible glitter fest on their airforces to match their glitter hats and shirts. There's even some customizers I know personally who use markers and glitter to do work for artists. Are you serious? I'm not going to shove my work into anybody face, unless they come looking. I hear alot of people tell me "Your work is alot better than what this dude did for Fabolous, or Nelly, or any of these rappers"

I'm here to work for my fame, not get famous because I was known as "the person who put swirls of glitter on Nelly's shoe."


What is the average turn around for doing kicks?
I can finish a pair in 2 days. 1 day if its for someone real important and
if its asked for in a short amount of time. But with the waiting list I have
most people are on the list for 3 weeks, simply because I have too much
to do! Currently, I have 15 pairs being worked on at the moment.

Drop a jewel on the kid out there that wants to freak there kicks?
Don't.Use.Marker. For the love of art, it's horrible, it comes off and it
just sucks! Leather paint all the way. All that createx and Pearl Art Shop
paint is good for the moment, but step your game up as soon as you
can with leather paint.
And for the girls: if you have a work name, that people can identify you by,
don't pick anything girly. Guys are the biggest haters and always play the girl
with the "you ok, but my boy is better" It's always the best when they think
you're a dude and give you crazy props, then you shock em with the knowledge
that you're a girl. =]