above: Street artist Banksy's Rat recreated on pair of leather Nikes designed and sold online by Brass Monki
Brass Monki is a talented 22 year old artist named Daniel Reese who hails from Merseyside [near Liverpool] in the UK. In 2009 he began using software to place pop culture imagery and icons from video games, movies, art, comic books, logos and other popular brands upon footwear.
The response was so positive, he began to actually hand paint one-off pairs of leather Nikes and sell them online. His eye for composition and color makes his creations very desirable as wearable art. Below are his designs, several of which are available for purchase.
Lego: Bob Marley: Blink 182: Kick Ass: Resevoir Dogs: Robocop: Watchmen: The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo: Mario: Luigi: Princess Peach: Oscar The Grouch: The Cookie Monster: Minnie Mouse: R2D2: Batman: Wolverine: Green Lantern: Iron Man: Blanka: Captain America: Dr. Robotnik: Sonic The Hedgehog: Castle Crashers: Pac Man: Buzz Lightyear: Woody: Firefox: Google: Colour Doodles: Doodle Splash: Light Swirl: Some of the above shoes are available for purchase right now in his online store.
Now, you can own a part of advertising history. Freedom Of Creation (FOC) designers, Janne Kyttanen and Mads Thomsen, produced this Laser Sintered creation for the international ad agency Amsterdam Worldwide for its client Onitsuka Tiger ‘ASICS’ premium heritage brand and the ad campaign called Electric Tigerland. (By the way, the recent Tansu Shoe for Onitsuka Tiger by Amsterdam Worldwide won a Gold Lion at the 2010 Cannes Advertising Festival for design)
The meter-long shoe called the ‘Electric Light Shoe’ was central to the global Electric Tiger Land campaign for 2008. The 70 cm and 40 cm sized versions were created for Onitsuka Tiger stores world-wide and are now available for purchase.
Several additional designs were produced by FOC to support the campaign such as USB sticks, keyholders, POS material, shoe displays etc. and now you can buy some of these items.
The Electric Shoe Created for the 2008 Onitsuka Tiger brand campaign, The Electric Light Shoe was the 2nd in the series of iconic sneaker sculptures developed from the agency's ‘Made of Japan’ strategy.
The one meter long ‘city in a sneaker’ was inspired by and pays homage to the Toyko cityscape and provided a platform to tell more stories about the brand to engage the target audience.
The sculpture was used in POS, online and television advertising and received numerous awards and now is your chance to own one.
Electric Light Shoe (large, 70 cm and small, 40cm) Limited consumer edition of 10 pieces Type: Media art developed in cooperation with 'Amsterdam Worldwide' for Onitsuka Tiger campaign Color: White with LED colored lights Material: Laser Sintered Polyamide Designers: Janne Kyttänen & Mads Thomsen 2007 Awards: Titanium Lion, International Advertising Fest. Cannes 2008, Dutch Design Awards 2008, Integrated Silver, ADCN 2009 Price for Large (excl. VAT): € 5879.83 buy it here Price for Small (excl. VAT): € 1678.15 buy it here Delivery Time: 6 weeks
The USB Shoe (sold as 4 pieces) And the USB memory shoe – a tiny replica of ‘Electric Light Shoe’ that once activated, the key diffuses a soft illumination, is also available. Type: 2 GigaByte USB-stick Color: White with colored LED Material: Laser Sintered Polyamide Designer: Janne Kyttänen 2008 Price (excl. VAT): € 81.51 Delivery Time: 2 weeks buy it here.
Shoe Sculpture Charm (sold as 4 pieces) A metal miniaturized reproduction of FOC’s ‘Electric Light Shoe’ which can be used as a key ring, pendant or charm is also available for purchase. Type: Miniature reproduction Material: Stainless steel Designer: Janne Kyttänen 2008 Price (excl. VAT): € 81.51 Delivery Time: 2 weeks buy it here.
This is one of those posts inspired by actual events. A few nights ago I was watching tv --Family Guy, if you must know-- and this commercial came on. I paused the dvr (oh, the wonders of technology) and rewound it to watch it again and again. As an advertising creative for over 20 years, I can assure you this happens very rarely. Turns out, the spot is the part of new marketing effort conceived of and executed by Anomaly for Converse.
Basketball legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat; musicians Jim Jones and Doug E Fresh, legendary ball-handler and God Shammgod, Harlem streetball player Adrian "A-Butta" Walton, Kenny Anderson, Converse skaters, Sammy Baca, Eli Reed, Rune Glifberg and more 'Join The Procession' in Brooklyn for this new :60 commercial for Converse, shot by the director of "Training Day."
The white-haired guy under the hood is basketball great Dr. J., looking better than he did in his heyday. Don't roll your eyes... I had to explain that, given that most people under 30 have no idea who he is (including my 19 year old dog walker and her friends).
The spot, directed by Antoine Fuqua from Pittsburgh, has stunningly composed shots, editing, music ("Hello Operator" by the White Stripes) and color transfer. Each frame in the spot is composed and lit like a miniature piece of art.
Coincidentally, director Antoine Fuqua landed a college scholarship to play basketball, but the power of cinema drove him to a successful career as a film director. He is best known for the award-winning film Training Day.
Behind the Scenes
In this behind the scenes video, Director Antoine Fuqua talks about the concept behind the commercial, while participants like Jim Jones, Carlos Arroyo, Doug E Fresh, and Luam Keflezgy talk about the passion around the culture. And the struggle. And the sunshine:
a 15: cut about Dr. J, the blueprint:
“[Basketball]…it’s like a ritual. The basketball being the thing that brings everybody [together]. The rhythm and the beat,” says director Antoine Fuqua. “Converse is taking it to the streets. The streets are the heart beat.”
On their blog, Converse asks you to "Join the Procession" and in addition to the ad, each of the stars are featured in a series of online vignettes taken from outtakes that illuminate their mutual admiration for each other and that blur the lines of sport, music and lifestyle. The resulting short clips showcase new cultural, iconoclastic moments including Kenny Anderson teaching Dr. J a kickflip, and God Shammgod showing Sammy Baca how to do the “Shammgod”, his signature crossover move.
Full Credits Agency: Anomaly Client: Converse Executive Creative Director/Partner: Mike Byrne Creative Director: Ian Toombs Head of Production: Andrew Loevenguth Account Person: Stanley Lumax Production Company: Anonymous Content Director: Antoine Fuqua Director of Photography: Harris Savides Executive Producer: Dave Morrison Producer: John Bennet Editorial: Beast Editor: Lucas Eskin Executive Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski Editorial Assistant: Jai Shukla Post: Company 3 Telecine: Tim Masick Flame Artist: Tom McCollough Executive Producer: Angela Lupo Mix: Audio Engine Mixer: Tommy Goldblatt Music: “Hello Operator” by The White Stripes Music Clearance: Sara Matarazzo
Information and images courtesy of Converse. Some text portions in this post were directly taken from the press release.
