Early hands-on brand and creative project.
From hobby to small business: building a 30,000 follower instagram business, with an iPhone, some paint, all while in high school
The Story
Custom Kicks began as a small high school project between two friends, customizing sneakers for classmates and local athletes. The idea took off through word of mouth, and before long, orders were coming in from all over, from friends and family to college and professional athletes. As the custom sneaker trend peaked, our page grew organically to over 30,000 followers, fueled by creative designs, athlete collaborations, and consistent storytelling on social media. One of my highlights was creating a pair for Boston Celtics’ Robert Williams III, and a viral Space Jam design that helped define our brand’s visual identity. What started as a simple passion quickly evolved into a real business, teaching us how creativity, timing, and consistency can build momentum online.
Early days of taking product photos
Page growth from 2018 to 2024, where at it's peak in 2021 had 30,000+ followers
Custom pair of PG2s for Boston Celtics Robert Williams
My Role
Within Custom Kicks, I contributed to both the creative and operational sides of the brand, designing concepts, painting and fulfilling orders, managing customer interactions, and creating product content for social media. I also redesigned our original logo into a cleaner mark combining a brush stroke, the brand’s initials, and signature colors to give the page a more professional and cohesive look. The experience gave me an early foundation in design systems, customer management, and social media growth strategy. It also taught me self-sufficiency and collaboration, how to handle real business operations while balancing creative ambition and partnership.
Growth and Impact
What started as a small custom project evolved into a recognized game in the sneaker customization space, building a community and credibility through creative execution, consistency, and a product thought to only belong to professional athletes.
Along the way I also solidified my friendship with my business partner who started it all and kept going when I was no longer in the game - Aidan Armas. He was the sole behind the brand at let me contribute to build what it came to be.
Aidans LinkedIn profile and the custom page's instagram are linked below.